The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has dropped a bombshell that is set to reshape staffing in Kenya’s Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) — primary school teachers will no longer be deployed to teach in JSS under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
In a decisive announcement, the commission said JSS demands specialised subject mastery at degree level, a threshold primary-trained teachers do not meet.
Graduate Teachers Only: TSC Closes the Door on Primary Deployment
TSC, led by Acting Commission Secretary and CEO E. J. Mitei, declared that the agency will exclusively deploy graduate teachers with at least two specialised teaching subjects studied at university.
According to the commission, JSS content — spread across sciences, humanities, languages, and technical areas — requires advanced academic depth, not generalist primary-level training.
“Teachers trained and qualified to teach languages (English/Kiswahili/Foreign Languages) will be called upon to teach the learning areas shown,” TSC stated.
Language Teachers: The New Workload Breakdown
Language specialists will now handle 18 lessons weekly, covering:
English – 5 lessons
Kiswahili / Kenyan Sign Language – 4 lessons
Social Studies (Citizenship, Geography & History) – 5 lessons
Religious Education – 3 lessons
PPI – 1 lesson
TSC says these subjects require linguistic expertise and deeper content knowledge, best provided by graduate teachers.
Mathematics & Science: Higher-Level Competencies Needed
Math Teachers – 15 Lessons Weekly
Mathematics (5)
Integrated Science (4)
Pre-Technical Studies (5)
PPI (1)
These subjects, TSC notes, combine mathematical reasoning with technical science — an area beyond primary pedagogy.
Science Teachers (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) – 19 Lessons Weekly
Mathematics (5)
Integrated Science (6)
Pre-Technical Studies (4)
Agriculture (3)
PPI (1)
The commission emphasises the need for STEM-specialised training, ordinarily acquired at degree level.
Technical, Humanities & Creative Teachers: Strict Specialisation Enforced
Technical Subjects – 19 Lessons
Mathematics (5)
Integrated Science (5)
Pre-Technical Studies (4)
Agriculture (4)
PPI (1)
Humanities (History/Geography/CRE/IRE) – 19 Lessons
Social Studies (4)
English/Kiswahili/KSL (5)
Religious Education (4)
PPI (1)
Creative Arts & Sports – 5 Lessons
Music, PHE, English Language & Literature combinations
Across all subject clusters, the commission concludes that JSS teaching goes far beyond generalist formations found in primary teacher training colleges.
After assessing curricular requirements, TSC ruled that primary school teachers do not meet the qualification standards for JSS delivery.
The decision ends years of back-and-forth over teacher shortages, deployment disparities, and the contentious “upgrading” conversations that have dominated the CBC transition.
The decree also signals stricter enforcement of subject specialisation, potentially reshaping recruitment, training, and career progression across Kenya’s education sector.
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