There is reason for teachers with a Primary Teacher Education (PTE) certificate as the Teachers Service Commission has responded positively regarding their unemployment situation.
The Commission has revealed that any changes they are planning in the teaching profession will not be implemented instantly since those changes are still up for debate.
“Even if changes may come, they will be gradual. For now the issue is at debate level. No final word yet,” said TSC via their Facebook account after an inquiry was made.
In recent times, many teachers with a PTE certificate have been wondering what to do with their certificates as TSC revealed they do not have any plans of employing P1 teachers in the near future.
In the Programme-Based Budget 2021 plan TSC is set to employ 15,000 secondary school teachers starting this financial year.
The Commission has revealed that at least 5,000 teachers will be recruited every year in the next three years to curb the looming shortage in secondary schools.
However, the recruitment of primary school teachers is not in the Commission’s plans and this has made it difficult to figure out the fate of thousands of unemployed teachers having P1 certificates.
According to TSC, Primary schools will not be getting new teachers because the 8-4-4 system is gradually being phased out. The workload in primary schools is likely to reduce because learners will join secondary schools after completing Grade six under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Primary school teachers will be employed through replacements after serving as interns.
TSC has revealed that they will be hiring the services of 5,500 interns on one-year contracts every year to fill the shortages in schools.
In primary schools, only 2,000 interns will be posted every year.
At the moment there are around 300,000 P1 teachers who have not joined the TSC payroll.
TSC received Sh. 281.7 billion for the 2021/2022 financial year as compared to the Sh. 266 billion allocated in the current financial year.
Plans that TSC has regarding recruitment are in the Programme-Based Budget 2021. These plans indicate that the Commission is one of the biggest beneficiaries of funding from the exchequer.
Teachers also received bad news from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) as they informed the Commission that any salary reviews for civil servants have been frozen for two years.
Besides, a three-year diploma course aligned with the CBC was launched starting this year.
GUIDELINES FOR RECRUITMENT OF TEACHERS – PRIMARY SCHOOLS 2020/2021
1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
(a) Following the advertisement for recruitment of teachers for Primary schools, you are required to conduct a selection exercise for candidates wishing to be employed and submit the County Merit List to the TSC Headquarters. The list should be ratified by the County Selection Panel.
(b) The selection panel will be expected to exercise the highest degree of transparency and accountability, as stipulated in the Public Officers Ethics Act and TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (2015).
The TSC County Director is expected to induct members of the County Selection Panel on the relevant Sections of the Act and the CORT 2015
(c) The TSC County Director MUST ensure that the recruitment process is done in strict adherence to the laid down protocols by the Ministry of Health on the containment of COVID-19 pandemic.
(d) All applicants must be registered teachers as per Section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012.
Applicants who are not registered do not qualify to be recruited.
(e) Applicants who apply for confirmation of results from KNEC should give the address of the County Director where they submitted their application. It is their responsibility to ensure that the results are received within 14 days after the verification of certificates.
(f) Applicants whose names differ in the certificates and/or identity card are required to present sworn affidavit on the differences in names,
(g) Applicants who re-sat either KCPE or KCSE examinations (or their equivalents) MUST present certified copies of the certificates(s) of the national examination(s) in question for all attempts.
(h) Applicants will be required to submit their applications to the Secretary Teachers Service Commission through online platform www.teachersonline.tsc.go.ke for the county where a vacancy has been declared.
(i) System generated Merit List will be sent to the County Director. Upon receipt of the Merit List, the County Director shall share with the Sub-County Directors.
Sub-County Directors shall use the Merit List to communicate selection date and venue in consultation with the county director.
(j) During the selection, each applicant shall be given a serial number.
Applicants must present original and legible photocopies of the following, among other relevant documents:-
- National Identification Card.
- National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);
- KCPE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
- KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one repeated exams);
- PTE certificate;
- Certificate of Registration as a teacher.
- Evidence of service as a teacher intern (where applicable);
- Sworn Affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;
- Primary and Secondary Schools leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials.
(k) All applicants, irrespective of gender, disability, ethnicity or Home County should be given equal opportunity. However, in case of a tie, consideration will be given on the following aspects in their order of priority:
- Applicant(s) with disability(ies);
- Service as a teacher intern;
- Applicants who had not been previously employed by the Commission;
- Attainment of highest grade in Teaching Practice.
- Give the preference to applicants who graduated earlier;
- Quality of certificates presented i.e. higher aggregate KCSE grade should first be considered.
(l) The selection date and venue must be displayed on notice boards at the County, Sub-County and Zonal offices at least seven (7) days before the selection exercise.
(m) The selection panel shall vet each applicant to establish if he/she meets the requirements of the TSC advertisement.
(n) Applicants who were previously employed by the Commission MUST declare their past employment history and reason(s) for break in service (with evidence in break in service). Applicants who were previously employed by the Commission and FAIL to declare their past employment shall be disqualified. However, preference will be given to applicants who have been employed by the Commission.
2.0 SUB-COUNTY SELECTION PANEL
- TSC sub-county Director – Chairperson
- TSC Sub-County Human Resource Officer – Secretary
- Zonal Curriculum Support Officers (2) – Members.
A total of four members
The sub-county Director MUST ensure that the Ministry of Health COVID-19 containment measures are adhered to by both panel members and the applicants at all times.
VERIFICATION EXERCISE
- The TSC sub-county director shall verify the TSC registration status of all applicants;
- The TSC sub-county director shall present a list of all applicants to the Selection Panel;
3.1 AUTHENTICATION OF ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTS
a) Original academic and professional certificates shall be scrutinized to verify their authenticity.
b) The TSC Sub-county director shall certify photocopies of the certificates and other documents before forwarding them to the TSC County Director.
c) Any applicant(s) who present forged/fake academic, professional and other documents commit(s) an offence; shall be disqualified and can be deregistered in accordance with CODE of Regulations for Teachers (CORT).
3.2 SELECTION CRITERIA
Applicants shall be awarded marks as per the score sheet (Appendix 1(a) and 1(b). where applicants tie in scores, the panel shall refer to (k) of these guidelines.
4.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO TSC COUNTY DIRECTOR
The Sub-county selection panel shall be required to submit the following to the TSC County Director:
- List of all applicants who presented documents for verification at the Sub-county level (Appendix II);
- Sub-county merit ;ist (Appendix III);
- Summary of complaints raised (if any) together with action taken;
- Minutes of the sub-county selection panel duly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary.
4.1 COUNTY SELECTION PANEL
a) After submission of Merit Lists by the Sub County Directors, TSC County Director shall constitute a selection panel comprising of the following members;
- TSC County Director – Chairperson
- TSC Deputy County Director – Secretary
- County Human Resource Officer – Member
- TSC Sub County Director – member
A total of four members.
The sub-county Director MUST ensure that the Ministry of Health COVID-19 containment measures are adhered to by both panel members.
b) The TSC County Director shall be required to convene a County Panel to ratify Sub-County Merit Lists for onward submission to the TSC Headquarters within the stipulated timeline.
c) The selected applicants from the Merit List shall correctly fill the TSC Application for Employment Form (APPT 1) without erasing or defacing it.
d) The Merit List compiled during the selection process at the beginning of the financial year shall be sued in subsequent recruitments within the financial year. Selected application shall be informed through the Short Message Service (SMS).
NB: It is the responsibility of the TSC County Director to ensure that the exercise is fair and transparent. The County Director must also ensure that all documents are in order and appropriately signed/certified before submitting them to the TSC Headquarters.
5.0 COMPLAINTS
a) Any applicants who is dissatisfied with the exercise should submit to the TSC County Director a written Complaint immediately and send an email to the TSC Headquarters through, dirtm@tsc.go.ke not later than seven (7) days after the selection exercise;
b) The TSC County Director should, within seven (7) days analyse and address all complaints raised after the selection process has been completed and thereafter submit a report to the Headquarters on the action taken.
c) Where the complaint is made against the TSC County Director, the TSC Headquarters shall investigate the allegations and take appropriate action.
6.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO TSC HEADQUARTERS
The TSC County Director shall submit the following to the TSC Headquarters;
- County Selection Panel minutes duly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary;
- Current Merit List (Appendix IV)
- List of all selected applicants drawn from the current merit list (Appendix V)
- List of all invited applicants who did not appear for verification (Appendix VI);
- List of applicants with special needs (Appendix VII)
- Duly filled Application for Employment Forms (APPT I) for the selected applicants;
- Original statement of confirmation of PTE/KCSE/KCPE results from KNEC for applicants without certificates;
- Certified copies of the following documents in the order indicated below:
- National Identification card;
- National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD) Card (where applicable):
- Two passport size photographs;
- KCPE (or its equivalent) certificate (include certificates for attempts if one repeated examinations);
- KCSE (or its equivalent) certificates (include certificate for attempts if one repeated exams);
- PTE certificate;
- Certificate of registration as a teacher;
- Evidence of service under Internship programme (where applicable);
- Primary and Secondary schools and college leaving certificates and other testimonials;
- Sworn affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;
- KRA PIN certificate, Bank form and Bank Plate to facilitate appointment on payroll.
- Written commitment by the applicant to serve in any county posted to, for a minimum period of five (5) years, and three (3) years in case of North Eastern region;
- Panel score sheet (Appendix I) both in soft (excel) via ddstaffingp@tsc.go.ke and hard copy for the selected applicants;
7.0 IMPORTANT NOTES
a) Merit Lists shall be made available to members of public wishing to see them on request in manner that will not put the recruitment process into jeopardy.
b) Under no circumstances should the Applicants for Employment Form be defaced or photocopied for use.
c) All enquiries arising from these guidelines should be made to the TSC County Director.
d) Notwithstanding the decentralization of the function of teacher’s recruitment pursuant to Section 20 of the Act, the Commission is not precluded from carrying out recruitment directly from the TSC Headquarters.
8.0 Attached find the following Appendices;
a) Appendix 1 (a)
b) Appendix 1 (b)
c) Appendix II
d) Appendix III
Panel score sheet for primary school teachers.
Panel score sheet for primary school teachers living with disabilities.
Sub-County Registration List of applicants who present documents for verification.
Sub-county merit list.
e) Appendix IV: County Merit List
f) Appendix V: List of selected applicants
g) Appendix VI: List of applicants who did not appear for verification
h) Appendix VII: List of applicants with special needs.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
SCORE SHEET FOR RECRUITMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS 2021
| SCORING AREAS | MAXIMUM SCORE | ACTUAL SCORE |
A | Professional P1 Qualifications | | |
| 6-15 points……………………………… | 40 | |
| 16-27 points……………………………… | 35 | |
| 28-39 points……………………………… | 30 | |
| 40-53 points………………………………… | 25 | |
| 54-64 points……………………………….. | 20 | |
| NB: the score does not include teaching practice | | |
| MAXIMUM SCORE | 40 | |
B | Evidence of Internship service | 10 | |
| MAXIMUM SCORE | 10 | |
C | Length Of Stay Since Graduation | | |
| 2014 and before…… | 50 | |
| 2015……………………… | 45 | |
| 2016……………………….. | 40 | |
| 2017………………………….. | 35 | |
| 2018………………………… | 30 | |
| 2019 and after……………… | 25 | |
| MAXIMUM SCORE | 50 | |
D | GRAND TOTAL | 100 | |