The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has given primary school teachers till 29th August 2025 to submit details that will facilitate in upgrading their PTE certificates to Diploma and Degree certificates.

The training which is sponsored by World Bank in partnership with TSC seeks to instill key competencies for P1 teachers to handle junior school classes.

The Commission will deploy the teachers to work in junior schools after upgrading their skills inline with the Competency Based Education (CBE).

TSC has directed primary school headteachers to furnish it with details of interested teachers who qualify for the training.

In an excel template TSC want the teachers name, TSC number, school name, sub county, KCSE mean grade and two teaching subjects the teacher qualify for training.

Many sub counties are finalizing submission of details. Others are using Google Forms to collect teachers details.

After collecting details TSC will process and shortlist those qualified for training.

The training exercise has been integrate into the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program.

TSC is relying on the PTE teachers vast teaching experience. TSC will also find it easy to deploy the teachers who are already used to their current working environments.

TSC has resort to retool the teachers to address the staffing crisis in junior schools which will by this year have around 90,000 teachers.

The Commission has ordered the teachers details to be submitted by Friday, 29th August, 2025.

However only teachers meeting the Commission’s minimum requirements will be trained.

TSC wants a teacher to have at least C (plain) in KCSE and at least C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects to qualify for the upgrade programme sponsored by world bank.

In a turn around the Commission has now resorted to PTE teachers to solve the teacher crisis in Grade 7, 8 and 9.

Previously KNUT had advised TSC to retool P1 teachers and allow them teach in junior schools saying they are capable of handling the learning areas.

However TSC was adamant and only deployed those with degree in secondary option with minimum C+ (plus) in KCSE and minimum C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects.

Teachers interested in TSC upgrade programme should however have scored at least C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects.

The programme comes at a time TSC is deploying a total of 1,436 P1 teachers to junior schools within or close to their current working station.

The Commission has started to issue the teachers with deployment letters for them to report to work in September.

TSC published the list of the 1,436 primary school teachers for vetting and immediate deployment to Grade 7, 8 and 9.

In the guidelines it released to guide the deployment exercise, TSC ordered Sub County Directors to issue the teachers with deployment letters latest Friday 22nd August to allow reporting in September.

In a circular dated 13th August, TSC acting CEO Ms Eveleen Mitei says the Commission received a total of 3,178 application requests for deployment but only 1,436 teachers were qualified.

TSC had targeted a total of 6,000 qualified P1 teachers to address looming shortage in Grades 7, 8 and 9.

However majority of primary school teachers lack the requirements for deployment.

According to TSC a primary school teacher must be qualified to teach in secondary schools for him to be deployed to junior school.

Upon deployment the graduate teachers will start at job group C2 where they will serve for three years then get promoted automatically to grade C3.

TSC has however barred primary school teachers with degree in primary option from deployment.

The Commission strictly wants teachers to have degree secondary option with minimum of C+ in KCSE and C+ in two teaching subjects.