Primary school teachers with advanced academic qualifications are urging the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to acknowledge their degrees and diplomas in the ongoing Junior Secondary School (JSS) deployment.
Many of these educators, having invested heavily in further studies, feel excluded from the current criteria set by the commission.
TSC has rolled out a deployment initiative targeting P1 teachers to teach Grades 7, 8, and 9 under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). However, the eligibility criteria have left a large section of qualified teachers disappointed. According to TSC, only teachers with a degree in secondary education and a minimum of a C+ in KCSE — including at least a C+ in two teaching subjects — qualify for deployment.
This stipulation has disqualified several teachers who pursued degrees in primary education, ECDE diploma holders, and even those with degrees in secondary education but without a diploma in secondary education or who scored below a C+ in KCSE.
The affected teachers argue that their qualifications were earned at great financial and personal cost. Many had expected automatic promotions upon presenting their updated academic credentials, as was previously the practice before 2014.
However, TSC abolished the Schemes of Service (SoS) system and replaced it with the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), which prioritize continuous appraisal over academic advancement alone.
Currently, only teachers with a degree in secondary education or a diploma in Special Needs Education (SNE) are being considered for JSS promotions. The Commission insists that performance appraisals, through tools like the Teacher Professional Appraisal and Development (TPAD), are now the primary basis for promotions.
Additionally, a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program is set to be introduced in December 2025 to further professionalize career advancement.
TSC had announced that it required 6,000 P1 teachers to fill junior secondary teaching slots. However, only 3,693 eligible teachers applied, underlining how restrictive the new guidelines are. Frustration continues to grow among teachers who meet most, but not all, of the Commission’s requirements.
While the deployment aims to address teacher shortages and job stagnation, the strict vetting procedures and eligibility barriers risk alienating a significant number of experienced and educated primary school teachers. These educators are now calling for a review of the criteria to make the deployment more inclusive.
