Junior school teachers are raising alarm over what they describe as a “career dead end” in their current deployment. While they were hired to support the rollout of the competency-based curriculum, many now fear that without reforms, their professional growth will remain stagnant.
Teachers argue that there are no clear pathways for promotions or recognition of skills and experience. “We were first hired as interns, then later confirmed. But even now, there is no defined progression for junior school staff,” said Peter Kimathi, interim chairperson of the Nyeri Junior School Teachers Association.
This uncertainty, combined with overwhelming workloads, is leading to low morale. Teachers in some schools handle more than 35 lessons weekly, sometimes in subjects they are not trained for. Such circumstances, they argue, make it impossible to effectively implement the CBC’s competency-based focus.
Additionally, inadequate resources have compounded frustrations. Teachers say government funds sent to schools are often absorbed by the primary sections, leaving junior schools starved of essentials like teaching materials, laboratory equipment, and library resources.
In Bungoma, KEJUSTA organising secretary Ladyisar Simiyu noted that some learners still lack desks. She added that co-curricular activities remain underfunded, denying students opportunities to explore talents in sports, science, and the arts.
The absence of autonomy, teachers believe, is a key reason for these failures. They argue that if junior schools had their own administration, funds could be better allocated, and teachers’ welfare prioritized.
“Nothing meaningful is happening in most schools because junior schools are treated as appendages of primary institutions,” said KEJUSTA chairperson James Odhiambo. He added that comprehensive schools, as proposed by the TSC, would create more confusion and strip teachers of motivation.
Union leaders also stress that professional growth is central to the success of CBC. Without incentives and clear career ladders, many fear that talented teachers will leave or disengage from their work.
KUPPET leaders have pledged to escalate the matter, warning that the Ministry of Education must take concrete action to secure the future of junior school teachers. Otherwise, they say, Kenya risks undermining the very curriculum it has invested so heavily in.
