Junior secondary schools are in crisis as teachers are expected to leave in mass exodus. This follows reports that science teachers hired in December 2024 may be moving to Senior Secondary Schools, a move that will disrupt the previous stable environment.
Science Teacher Exodus Looming
TSC recruited 20,000 science and pre-technical teachers on internship towards the end of 2024 to address the perennial shortage of teachers for science based subjects. But now many of these teachers are considering to apply for the upcoming permanent and pensionable secondary school teaching positions that will start next week.
This has left many junior school heads worried. “Despite being absorbed by the commission, most of them feel better off in secondary schools than where they are now,” says one headteacher who is trying to retain his integrated science teachers and dissuade them from applying for the new positions.
TSC’s Recruitment Plans and Implications
TSC is recruiting 8,707 teachers to replace those who have exited the service due to natural attrition. Breakdown is as follows:
- 5,862 teachers will be deployed to primary schools.
- 21 teachers will be posted to junior schools.
- 2,824 teachers will be assigned to secondary schools.
According to the recruitment guidelines, preference is given to applicants who have never been employed by TSC before. This means that the interns who have already signed contracts with the commission are technically employees and therefore can’t apply for the new recruitment. But some headteachers argue that TSC has not been clear on this and therefore there is uncertainty.
Impact on Junior Schools
If many science teachers leave JSS for secondary schools, it will create a staffing gap in schools that are still stabilizing under CBC. These schools were allocated science teachers to meet the growing demand for STEM education especially with the need for well equipped laboratories.
Education stakeholders fear that once the recruitment is done, TSC may be forced to launch another round of recruitment to replace the interns who will move to secondary schools.
Policy Clarification Needed
Headteachers were hoping TSC would blacklist the interns from the upcoming recruitment to prevent loss of qualified teachers. Without clear guidelines, this situation may lead to instability and affect student learning.
We shall be watching as the recruitment unfolds to see how TSC handles this crisis to ensure junior schools are fully staffed.