Primary schools teachers in schools domiciling Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) have officially been issued with deployment letters to act as JSS principals.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) revealed this through its Sub-County Directors who issued the headteachers with the letters making the management mandate official.

The Commission did not consider any qualifications of the headteachers but just that they were headteachers in the schools domiciling Grade Seven (7) learners.

The appointment is not done and dusted with the fate of Junior Secondary School (JSS) learners yet to be fully defined.

The headteachers were given charge of the JSS until the end of the year when further decisions will be announced.

The positions that will be decided on are those of Senior Master, Deputy Principal, and Heads of Departments among others.

The Commission also announced through its social media announcements that it had opened its portal to receive applications for deployment for primary school teachers. The portal was reactivated and will be open until the 22^nd of March.

“The Commission has extended the Period of application for deployment to Junior Secondary Schools. The portal has been reopened. Primary school teachers with requisite qualifications are encouraged to apply. Use the following link https://tsconline.tsc.go.ke/tsc-teacher/login to access the portal. The deadline for application is on the 22^nd of March, 2023,” said TSC.

This gives a chance to Primary Teacher Education (PTE) teachers who were locked out in the first round. The first cohorts completed the verification of documents and those successfully issued with posting letters.

Deployment of teachers started at job group C2 where they will serve for three years before being automatically elevated to job group C3.

The salary for a deployed C2 teacher is as follows:

Basic Salary: 34,95

House Allowance (other areas): 7,500

Hardship allowance: 10,900

Commuter allowance: 5,000

Leave (paid only in January): 6,000

The requirements for deployment to junior secondary were reduced to allow teachers with pre-university qualifications to apply.

The Commission also revealed that practising P1 teachers with pre-university qualifications on or before the 31^st of December, 2015 be considered for deployment to Junior Secondary.

This allows teachers who joined the university with a KCSE mean grade of C (Plain) but did a bridging course before pursuing their degree are eligible to apply for a chance to teach in Grades 7, 8 and 9.

However, the same has not been done for primary school teachers with other Diplomas and Degree certificates like those with primary options.

The Commission said that primary School teachers who wish to be deployed to JSS have to be qualified to teach at that level.

The following are the requirements for deployment:

• Be registered as a teacher by the Teachers Service Commission.
• Be employed as a primary school teacher by the Teachers Service Commission.
• Should not be currently serving an interdiction or undergoing a disciplinary process.
• Have a minimum of a Diploma in Education with a minimum of C+ at KCSE (or its equivalent) with C+ in two teaching subjects currently being offered in the school curriculum (either under 8-4-4 or CBC) or two (2) principles and one (1) subsidiary pass at “A” level. Those with a minimum of C (Plain) at KCSE (or its equivalent) and have undertaken a Diploma in Education together with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education qualify.
• The degree certificate must be a Bachelor of Education. Bachelor of Education (Primary Option) holders are not eligible.
• Must have expressed interest to be deployed to Junior Secondary School and their name is in the list shared from the Headquarters.

The documents required for verification are:

• Original and copy of the degree/diploma certificate,
• Original and copies of the academic transcripts;
• Original and copy of SNE qualification (where applicable);
• Original and copy of the KCSE certificate (or its equivalent)
• A copy of the current payslip
• A declaration by the Head of Institution that the teacher is currently serving in the school and is neither serving an interdiction nor undergoing a disciplinary process.