TSC To Employ Another 20k JSS Teachers Due To Persisting Shortage.
TSC To Employ Another 20k JSS Teachers Due To Persisting Shortage. Kenya’s Junior Secondary Faces Severe Teacher Shortage Ahead of 2025 School Year
As Kenya gears up for Grade 9 learners in January 2025, the education sector faces a critical teacher shortage, especially in junior secondary levels (Grades 7, 8, and 9). Despite recent recruitment drives, junior secondary schools remain severely understaffed, with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) identifying this level as having the most acute shortage of qualified educators.
Read Also: Latest List Of The Approved TTC’s Offering Diploma In Teacher Education (DTE) In Kenya
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia recently informed the National Assembly Education Committee that funding has been secured to hire 20,000 additional teachers on contract for junior secondary schools. While this addition will bring the total number of junior secondary teachers to nearly 76,928 across 20,000 schools, it equates to only one more teacher per school, highlighting the ongoing gap. This level of staffing is minimal compared to Kenya’s primary and secondary schools, which employ 216,000 and 125,000 teachers, respectively.
Despite these efforts, the teacher deficit remains substantial, with over 400,000 trained teachers still unemployed. Notably, science teachers are in short supply, while there is an oversupply of arts graduates. The Ministry of Education, led by Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, is addressing these challenges through retooling initiatives to upskill underqualified teachers, aiming to meet the needs of Grade 9 learners by 2025. Furthermore, the ministry has committed to transitioning last year’s contract teachers to permanent positions, providing greater job stability.
As junior secondary enrollment rises, the demand for effective recruitment, targeted retraining, and sustainable employment strategies becomes increasingly urgent. Ongoing government investment and a focus on strategic hiring are vital for ensuring that Kenya’s junior secondary students receive the quality education they deserve.
