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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has opened its online application portal for qualified primary school teachers interested in being deployed to junior secondary schools (JSS).
Applications should be submitted through the TSC portal at https://tsconline.tsc.go.ke/tsc-teacher/login.
TSC has specified that only teachers who are permanently employed in public primary schools and meet the necessary qualifications are eligible to apply.
To qualify, applicants must be currently employed as primary school teachers by TSC, have a Mean Grade of C+ or higher in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), and a minimum grade of C+ in each of the two subject clusters relevant to the JSS curriculum.
The deployment offers various benefits, including improved pay, career growth opportunities, and the chance to teach in a dynamic educational environment.
To apply, candidates should log into the TSC portal with their TSC number and password, go to the “Deployment to JSS” section, fill in the required details, upload the necessary documents, and submit their application before the deadline.
The TSC is looking to fill 6,000 vacancies as part of its efforts to address a teacher shortage of 72,422 in junior secondary schools nationwide. The shortage has been partially addressed by the transition of the pioneer cohort of the competency-based curriculum to Grade 9 in January.
TSC is under pressure to ensure a smooth learning experience for students and mitigate the teacher shortage in JSS. TSC CEO Nancy Macharia noted that the commission currently has 76,928 teachers in junior schools, which is only 51.5% of the required workforce. This total includes 9,000 permanent teachers, 8,378 P1 teachers deployed in the past two years, and 39,550 teachers who started as interns and were later made permanent.
The commission requires a total of 149,350 teachers for Grades 7, 8, and 9. In addition, the government has allocated Sh4.8 billion to hire 20,000 JSS intern teachers starting this January, who will undergo retooling to prepare for their roles.
From May 2023 to November 2024, 60,642 teachers have received specialized training for JSS subjects.
