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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has now extended the application period for tutor’s deployment to Junior Secondary School (JSS).

TSC yesterday announced that the application deadline is March 22.

Only teachers serving under permanent and pension in public primary schools who meet requisite qualifications have been urged to apply.

“The Commission has extended the period of application for deployment to JSS. The portal has been re-opened,” said TSC in a public notice.

Already, some 10,833 teachers have been elevated from primary to JSS with Kakamega, Bungoma, Kitui and Homabay counties having been allocated the highest number.

A county-by-county breakdown released by TSC shows that Kakamega got 943 teachers followed by Bungoma with 672, Kitui with 624, Homabay with 436, Meru with 517, Kisumu 501, Makueni 490, Nakuru 486, Machakos 471, Migori 463, Siaya 371, Busia 351, Bomet 293, Kisii 284, and Trans Nzoia with 283.

TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia told MPs two weeks ago in Parliament that they mapped out the said teachers after applying through the online platform provided by the commission. “The commission has done thorough verification of personal files identified 10, 833 primary school teachers with the requisite qualifications to teach in secondary schools as eligible for deployment to JSS,” she told Parliament Macharia.

“The mapping process of primary school teachers eligible to teach in junior secondary schools is a continuous process and verification of the mapped files is still ongoing to identify more teachers eligible to be posted to JSS,” she added.

According to the commission the qualifications for deployment to JSS, include a Diploma in Education, Bachelor’s Degree in Education, at least a C plus mean grade at Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) or its equivalent, at least C Plus in the two teaching subjects at KCSE or its equivalent as well as apart least eight units in each of the two teaching subjects.

Recruited teachers

The deployment of the said teachers was over and above the 30, 550 primary teachers who were distributed to teach Grade Seven, out of which the commission allocated one teacher per class for all the Grade Seven classes countrywide. “While the teacher establishment for Grade Seven level is 61000 (at least two teachers per class), the commission had recruited 30, 550 teachers (one teacher per class) bringing the teacher shortage from Grade Seven to 30,550,” Macharia said.

This comes against the backdrop of Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) now urging the government to reverse the decision to domicile JSS in primary schools in order to address the apparent crisis in learning institutions.

Kuppet also called for disbandment of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) claiming that it has caused more confusion than solutions in JSS transition.

The union officials, led by Secretary General Akelo Misori said on Tuesday that JSS should have a minimum of seven teachers and as the situation stands, the future of the over 1.2 million learners is unknown given the challenges currently being experienced. “Having observed the transition to JSS since January 30 when the Grade Seven students reported to school, KUPPET urges the government to urgently call a crisis meeting involving all key stakeholders to resolve the fundamental crisis building up before our eyes,” said Misori in a press conference held in Nairobi.