Thousands of primary school teachers could soon become eligible for deployment to junior secondary schools (JSS) following proposed changes by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that relax academic requirements for teachers with bachelor’s degrees.
Under the proposed regulations, teachers holding bachelor’s degrees in secondary education will qualify for deployment to JSS if they attained at least a C+ in one teaching subject at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) level, even where their overall mean grade was a C (plain).
The move marks a shift from the current requirement, which demands a minimum KCSE mean grade of C+ and at least a C+ in two teaching subjects.
The existing criteria have locked out many P1 teachers who later upgraded their qualifications but remained in primary schools due to their KCSE performance.
The proposed changes come amid a growing teacher shortage in junior secondary schools following the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
JSS, which comprises Grades 7, 8, and 9, requires an estimated 149,350 teachers to fully implement the curriculum nationally. However, the current workforce stands at about 100,000 teachers, leaving a significant staffing gap.
The revised regulations also seek to lower the minimum qualifications for registration of secondary school teachers.
Diploma holders would qualify for registration with a Diploma in Education, a KCSE mean grade of C (plain), and at least a C+ in one teaching subject.
For persons with disabilities, the proposed threshold would be a KCSE mean grade of C (plain) and a minimum grade of C in one teaching subject.
To facilitate the changes, the TSC has initiated a stakeholder engagement process to review Regulation 20 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT).
On May 14, 2026, the commission held a public participation forum at the Kenya Institute of Special Education to gather stakeholders’ views before submitting the proposed amendments to Parliament for approval.
The commission says the changes are intended to align teacher registration and deployment policies with the demands of the CBC and provide a legal framework for the revised qualification requirements.
TSC has also indicated that deployment to junior secondary schools will remain a continuous exercise.
Once the regulations are approved, eligible teachers will be required to submit applications through the TSC online portal before undergoing verification by Sub-County Directors.
Applicants will be required to present original and copies of their degree or diploma certificates, academic transcripts, KCSE certificates, current payslips, and a letter from their head of institution confirming they are in active service and are not facing disciplinary action or interdiction.
