TSC to Deploy P1 Teachers with C Plain in KCSE to Junior Secondary Schools

The Teachers Service Commission has announced a major policy shift, dropping the requirements for the deployment of primary school teachers to junior secondary. This will benefit class teachers who hold degree certificates but had a C plain mean grade in their KCSE exams, as well as in their two teaching subjects.

New Deployment Criteria

A July 4, 2024 memo by the TSC seeks details of primary school teachers with diplomas and degrees who scored C plain and above in their KCSE results. This move will help address deployment needs as junior school intern teachers continue to protest for permanent deployment.

Key Points of the Memo:

1. Degree and Diploma Holders: The TSC is targeting teachers who have garnered a Bachelor’s and Diploma degrees and have varying KCSE grades.
2. Lowered Requirements: Before, P1 teachers with a Degree in Education, Secondary option, but who scored a C plain in KCSE were insisted to offer a Diploma for consideration and promotion to junior school; this has now been relaxed.
3. Intern Teacher Confirmations: This move has been necessitated by pressure the Commission faces from junior school intern teachers pushing for permanent terms. The interns include 21,550 junior school interns, 4,000 primary school interns that were recruited in February 2023, 450 secondary school interns recruited in April 2023, and more intern teachers recruited in September 2023. What this means is that the Commission will have to grapple with a financial strain.

Financial Constraints

It has now emerged that the plan to confirm intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms has been shelved due to budgetary constraints. This is after President William Ruto annulled the Finance Bill following pressure to remove some provisions out of it by Gen Z. According to Ruto in a recent interview, with the financial limitations, there are no immediate plans to confirm the teachers.

Internal Memo Details

It was an internal memo from the TSC, with specific data collection requirements, asking regional and county directors to provide information on categories of teachers by 11th July 2024. These were teachers with required Bachelor’s and Diploma certificates with a minimum mean grade of C+ at KCSE and a minimum of C+ in both subjects at KCSE.

• Category 1: Holders of required Bachelor’s and Diploma certificates with a minimum mean grade of C+ at KCSE and a minimum of C+ in each of the two teaching subjects.
• Category 2: Holders of required Bachelor’s and Diploma certificates with a minimum mean grade of C+ at KCSE and a minimum of C plain in each of the two teaching subjects.
• Category 3: Holders of required Bachelor’s and Diploma degrees with a minimum mean grade of C plain at KCSE and a minimum of C+ in each of the two teaching subjects.
• Category 4: Holders of required Bachelor’s and Diploma degrees with a minimum mean grade of C plain at KCSE and a minimum of C plain in each of the two teaching subjects.
• Category 5: Holders of required Bachelor’s and Diploma degrees with a minimum mean grade of C- and below with two teaching subjects without regard to the grades in the teaching subjects.

Implications of the Policy Change

Addressing Teacher Shortages

The TSC decision to reduce the deployment criteria partly responds to the current teacher shortages in junior secondary. This move is partially going to fill the gap by using available qualified primary school teachers who could previously not meet the higher grade requirements in KCSE.

Impact on Teachers

For most primary teachers, this revised policy presents an opportunity for promotion in their career. Those unable to make the transition into junior secondary due to the strict grade requirement will now be able to do so if they fit the changed criteria.

Future Considerations

While the move by TSC might be in the right step towards addressing the shortage, scrapping this plan in confirming intern teachers still stands out as a challenge that is guided by the prevailing budgetary concerns. The government will explore sustainable financial solutions to ensure the long-term stability and growth of the teaching workforce in the country.