The TSC is set to redeploy a section of JSS teachers to senior schools early next year to address the teacher shortage in senior secondary schools. This comes as the first cohort of the CBC will transition to Grade 10 in January 2026 putting more pressure on the already strained education system.
Immediate Staffing Intervention
A senior TSC official said the redeployment is necessary to avoid a staffing crisis in senior schools. Education CS Julius Ogamba had earlier acknowledged that the government faces a shortage of specialized teachers for senior secondary schools especially as students move to upper secondary grades under CBC.
Speaking during Citizen TV’s ‘Elimu Mashinani’ segment in Kilifi on September 23, 2025, Ogamba said:
“We are facing challenges in ensuring we have enough teachers in senior schools, especially for specialized subjects as CBC moves forward.”
This is compounded by the country’s financial constraints as the government struggles to find resources to fully address the teacher shortage.
Teacher Redeployment and Recruitment Plans
To address the shortage in senior schools the TSC will redeploy only JSS teachers handling specialized subjects and on permanent and pensionable terms. This will address the immediate gap while long term solutions are being explored.
At the same time the TSC is looking to upgrade P1 teachers to handle junior school classes. Sponsored by the World Bank the upgrading program will start in November 2025. However only P1 teachers who attained a KCSE mean grade of C+ and above and at least C+ in two teaching subjects will be eligible for this training.
A total of 38,849 P1 teachers have been shortlisted for the World Bank funded upgrading program. The training will take up to one year after which these teachers will be eligible to teach Grades 7, 8 and 9.
JSS Teachers: Internships and Future Hires
To address the staffing gaps created by the redeployment of JSS teachers the TSC is also recruiting 24,000 JSS teachers on a one year internship. The interns are currently undergoing document verification and signing of internship contracts will be done soon. They will be posted to schools in January 2025 to support the CBE rollout.
The Education CS also said an additional 16,000 teachers will be hired in 2026 for junior secondary schools.
But Ogamba was mum on the teacher shortage in senior schools raising concerns on the sustainability of these measures.
JSS Teachers Want Autonomy
The decision to move teachers from junior schools to senior schools comes at a time when JSS teachers are demanding institutional autonomy. Teachers argue that autonomy will help in resource management and clear career progression pathways.
There is a lot of discontent among JSS teachers over the current leadership of the schools especially on the role of primary school headteachers who are currently the principals of junior secondary schools. These acting principals who will be in office until December 31, 2025 have been accused of corruption, high handedness and incompetence which has led to more calls for reforms in junior secondary schools.
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
As the CBC transition continues, addressing teacher shortage at both junior and senior school levels is one of the biggest challenge for TSC and the education system. Moving junior secondary teachers to senior schools is a short term solution, but the issue of staffing is still critical and the financial crisis the government is facing makes it hard to find a lasting solution.
