A section of junior secondary school (JSS) teachers will be redeployed to work in senior schools early next year as the first Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) cohorts will transition to Grade 10.
This was revealed by a top TSC official who says immediate intervention measures are necessary to avert a looming staffing crisis in senior schools.
The revelation comes after the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba admitted that government lacks specialized teachers in senior schools in readiness for the January transition.
Ogamba said some of the senior school learning areas do not have enough teachers.
He was speaking during a Citizen TV’s ‘Elimu Mashinani’ segment held in Kilifi on September 23, 2025.
Government is facing serious financial crunch and surgical measures are key to address existing education gaps.
However only serving junior school teachers handling specialized subjects and employed on permanent and pensionable (pnp) terms will be considered.
The plan comes at a time TSC want to upgrade primary school teachers popularly known as ‘P1 teachers’ to handle junior school classes.
The upgrading sponsored by World Bank will start in November this year and only P1 teachers who scored KCSE mean grade C+ and above and at least C+ in two teaching subjects will be trained.
Sources say the upgrading will take maximum of one year and the teachers will be allowed to handle Grades 7, 8 and 9 as they continue with training.
TSC has so far listed 38,849 primary school teachers who it says are qualified for the World Bank upgrading program.
To cover for the gap to be created by senior school redeployment the Commission is also recruiting a total of 24,000 junior school teachers on a one year internship term.
The teachers are currently concluding document verification exercise which will be followed by signing of TSC internship contract.
The teachers will be posted to schools in January 2025 to support the Competency Based Education (CBE).
The Education CS also noted that the government will hire another 16,000 teachers in 2026 for junior schools.
He however remained tight lipped on fate of senior schools that face dire teacher shortage.
TSC has previously said it needs sh70 billion to recruit 98,461 teachers for both junior secondary and high schools in order to address the current shortage.
The Commission has so far recruited 68,550 junior school teachers some on permanent and pensionable terms.
Former TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, while appearing before the Senate National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee early this year said they would address staffing gaps if funded.
“I would like to inform the Senate that if TSC is allocated sh70 billion, we will be able to employ all the teachers needed in our schools. In Junior Secondary, we have a shortage of 72,442 teachers, while in Secondary schools under the 8-4-4 system, we have a shortage of 26,039 teachers,” said Macharia.
TSC recruited 9,000 teachers in the 2022/23 financial year, 39,550 teachers in the 2024/25 financial year and an additional 20,000 intern teachers in January 2025 making a total of 68,550 teachers.
Should TSC redeploy the teachers, it will be a huge relief for the jss teachers especially at a time when they are fighting for institution autonomy.
According to the teachers, only through autonomy will they realize better management of junior school resources, better management and clarity on career progression.
The teachers are accusing primary school headteachers of high handedness, corruption and incompetency.
Primary school headteachers are currently principals of junior schools in acting capacity.
TSC gave them a one year mandate to act as principals. The contract runs from1st January to 31st December 2025.