Members of the Kenya Junior School Teachers Association (KEJUSTA) in Makueni and Kwale counties are demanding autonomy from the primary education level.

The Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers want to be recognised as an independent institution by the Ministry of Education, arguing that the current education system is structured as 2-6-3-3, not 2-9-3.

“The Competency-Based Education system (CBE) clearly states that we have three years in pre-primary, six years in primary school, three years in junior school, and three years in senior school. Yet our fate in junior school is not well defined compared to other levels,” said a JSS teacher.

Among their key demands is the recognition of junior schools as a distinct and separate level of education. They are also rejecting the introduction of comprehensive schools, which they claim undermine the structure of the JSS system.

The JSS instructors say they are prepared to take legal action or stage a strike to protect their professional interests. They have also petitioned the National Assembly to pass legislation granting Junior Secondary Schools full autonomy.

The educators report receiving little to no support from primary school headteachers, who, they say, may lack adequate knowledge of the JSS curriculum.

“One of the problems we face is that these schools lack laboratories and sufficient apparatus to conduct practicals for science subjects, yet the school heads don’t understand this,” said a teacher.

They argue that, as trained high school teachers, it is inappropriate for them to work under primary school administrators. “We expect to be under teachers whose qualifications are equal to or higher than ours,” added another teacher.

The teachers have given the Ministry of Education an ultimatum until January 2026 to appoint separate principals and deputies for JSS, develop an independent academic calendar, and provide the necessary infrastructure. If these demands are not met, they propose that JSS students be moved to nearby high schools to continue their education.

Similar concerns have recently emerged in other parts of the country, with support from teachers’ unions, who claim they possess the necessary experience to manage and run JSS institutions effectively.

– By Timon Otieno