Glimmer of hope for thousands of jobless teachers as TSC advertises jobs

Thousands of unemployed teachers could have reason to smile following plans to recruit more than 7,000 teachers into the public service.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has advertised 7,720 vacancies on permanent and pensionable terms to replace teachers exiting the service through natural attrition.

The vacancies are spread across primary, junior and secondary schools, with primary schools accounting for the largest share of the recruitment slots.

In an advertisement published yesterday, the Commission invited applications for 5,609 primary school positions, 25 junior school vacancies and 2,086 secondary school posts.

The recruitment targets teachers expected to leave the service during the 2026/2027 financial year, with applications opening on November 10 and closing at midnight on November 23.

The hiring comes as the government continues to address teacher shortages arising from the expansion of the education system and the rollout of Competency-Based Education.

Addressing school heads at the Kenya Comprehensive Schools Heads Association Annual Conference in Mombasa, TSC Commission Secretary Evaleen Mitei said the government had recruited an additional 100,000 teachers over the past three years following the introduction of junior schools.

She said another 16,000 teachers were expected to be recruited shortly, in fulfilment of President William Ruto’s commitment to expand the teaching workforce.

“The growing learner population and rollout of Competency-Based Education have significantly increased the demand for teachers across all levels of our education system,” Dr Mitei said.

She added that the recruitment had significantly reduced the teacher shortage in junior schools, while urging school administrators to ensure the optimal utilisation of available teachers.The 7,720 vacancies announced on Tuesday are replacement positions and are separate from the additional recruitment of 16,000 teachers announced by Mitei at the conference.

Beyond recruitment, the commission is preparing teachers to handle new learning areas introduced under the competency-based curriculum, including Creative Arts, Music and Dance, Theatre and Film, and Media Technology and Studies.

Mitei said the commission was at an advanced stage of preparing teachers for the new learning areas through a partnership with the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC).

The practical training programme is scheduled to begin on November 23, using experts, equipment and facilities at KIMC training centres across the country.

“We are working on arrangements for similar training by experts for teachers of Sports Science, Recreation and Physical Education,” she said.

The commission also disclosed that more than 310,000 teachers had undergone CBE retooling through a multi-agency programme, as it seeks to prepare educators for changes in curriculum delivery.

Mitei challenged school heads to ensure that knowledge acquired through professional development programmes translates into improved classroom instruction and learner outcomes.

Meanwhile, TSC said applicants seeking primary school positions must possess at least a Primary Teacher Education (P1) certificate, while those applying for Junior and secondary school vacancies must have a minimum Diploma in Education.

All applicants must be Kenyan citizens and registered teachers with the commission.

Applications must be submitted online through the TSC website under the Careers section or through the Teachers Online portal. Manual applications will not be considered.

The commission said preference would be given to applicants who had not previously been employed by TSC.

Successful candidates may be deployed anywhere in the country, although those recruited to fill Junior School replacement vacancies will be posted to the specific schools where the vacancies arose.

TSC warned applicants against individuals demanding money in exchange for assistance with recruitment, insisting that the exercise was free of charge.