Latest TSC Guidelines for Recruitment of Secondary School Teachers on Permanent and Pensionable Terms

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has revealed the latest and updated guidelines to be used in recruiting new teachers to the Commission on permanent and pensionable terms.

GUIDELINES FOR RECRUITMENT OF TEACHERS ON PERMANENT & PENSIONABLE TERMS, POST PRIMARY INSTITUTIONS – 2021-2022 FINANCIAL YEAR

1.0          GENERAL INFORMATION

(a)          Following the advertisement for recruitment of teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, Boards of Management are required to conduct the selection exercise for the advertised vacancy(ies) in their institutions.

(b)          Applicants will be required to submit their applications to the Secretary Teachers Service Commission online through www.teacheronline.tsc.go.ke for the institution where a vacancy has been declared.

(c)           The Selection Panel is required to exercise the highest degree of transparency and accountability, as stipulated in Public Officers Ethics Act, and TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (CoCE, 2015).

The TSC County Director or his/her representative will induct the panel members on the relevant sections of the Act and Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT, 2-15) before the commencement of the selection exercise.

(d)          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 containment of COVID-19 pandemic.

(e)          TSC County Director MUST ensure that venues for interviews are accessible to applicants with special needs.

(f)           All applicants MUST be registered teachers as per Section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012.

Applicants who are not duly registered shall not be considered for recruitment.

(g)          TSC County Directors MUST ensure that Heads of Institutions confirm online registration status of the applicants to avoid engaging unregistered/deregistered teachers.

(h)          Applicants who apply for confirmation of results from KNEC should give the address of the TSC County Director of the County where they applied for recruitment.

It is their responsibility to ensure that the results are received for consideration during the verification of the academic certificates.

(i)            Applicants whose names differ in the academic and professional certificates and/or identification cards MUST present a sworn affidavit to explain the variance in names.

(j)           Applicants who re-sat either KCPE or KCSE examinations (or their equivalents) MUST present certified copies of the certificate(s) of the national examination(s) in question for all attempts.

(k)          System generated Merit List will be prepared by the TSC County Director.

TSC County Director shall distribute the Lists to the TSC Sub-County Directors and Heads of Institutions. Heads of Institutions shall use the Merit Lists for the interviews in consultation with the respective TSC Sub-County Directors.

(l)            Upon invitation for interview, applicants shall be required to present the originals and clear copies of the following documents:

i.              National identification card;

ii.             Certificate of registration as a teacher;

iii.            Evidence of service as a teacher intern (where applicable);

iv.           Diploma/Degree certificate and official transcripts;

v.            KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams);

vi.           KCPE certificate or is equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams);

vii.          Primary and secondary school leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials;

viii.         National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);

ix.           Sworn affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;

x.            Proof of payment for the statement of confirmation of results by KNEC (where applicable);

(m)         The date, venue and time of the interview will be displayed at the Commission’s County, Sub-County, Zonal and Institutional offices.

(n)          Heads of Institutions will communicate to all shortlisted applicants through SMS (Short Message Service) at least seven (7) days before the actual date of the interview.

This MUST be strictly observed to ensure that all applicants are notified of the date, venue and time of the interview.

(o)          All applicants, irrespective of gender, disability, ethnicity or Home County shall be given equal opportunities.

(p)          In the event of a tie, consideration for selection will be determined as per the order of priority shown hereunder:

i.              Applicants’ disability status;

ii.             Whether the applicant(s) has previously participated in the TSC Teacher Internship Programme;

iii.            Whether the applicant(s) has previously employed by the Commission;

iv.           Applicants who graduated and were registered as teachers earlier;

v.            Strength of academic and professional certificates presented.

N/B: If applicants tie at aggregate grades, subjects’ grades shall be considered.

(q)          The names of interviewed applicants ranked in order of performance in the selection process for each vacancy (Appendix iii) shall be submitted to the Commission by the TSC County Director together with Application for Employment forms.

(r)           Applications who were previously employed by the Commission MUSTdeclare their past employment history and reason(s) for break in service (with justification for the break in service).

Applicants who previously worked with the Commission and FAIL to declare their past employment shall be disqualified. Preference shall be given to applicants who have never been employed by the Commission.

2.0          AUTHENTICITY OF ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL AND OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS

Applicants must present original and legible photocopies of the following documents:

i)             National identification card;

ii)            Certificate of Registration as a teacher;

iii)           Evidence of service as a teacher intern (where applicable);

iv)           Diploma/Degree certificate and accompanying transcripts;

v)            KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat examinations);

vi)           Proof of payment for the statement of confirmation of results by KNEC (where applicable);

vii)          Primary and Secondary School leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials;

viii)         National Council of Persons with Disability (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);

ix)           Sworn Affidavit where names appearing on the submitted documents differ;

NB: Provisional transcript(s) shall not be accepted.

(a)          The selection panel shall verify that:

(i)            The applicant meets the requirements stipulated in the TSC advertisement;

(ii)           All submitted original academic and professional certificates, as well as official transcripts are authentic.

(b)          The Secretary, Board of Management shall certify photocopies of the certificates and confirm the Sub-COUNTY Director that they are true copies of the candidate’s original academic and professional certificates.

(c)           Once the interview process is completed, the results will be communicated to all applicants on the same day. Successful applicant(s) shall be issued with the TSC Application for Employment Form(s).

(d)          It is the responsibility of the TSC County Director/Representative to ensure that the:

i.              Exercise is fair and transparent;

ii.             Successful applicant(s) on the Merit List fill the Application for Employment Form(s).

(e)          The Secretary, Board of Management should ensure that the Application for Employment Form (s) is correctly filled by the applicant(s) without erasing or defacing.

(f)           The completed Application for Employment Form(s) together with other relevant documents shall be submitted to the TSC County Director’s office by the TSC Sub-County Director.

The TSC County Director, upon verification and ensuring that all the requirements are met by the successful candidates, shall submit the recruitment documents to the TSC Headquarters within the stipulated timelines.

(g)          Any applicant(s) who present forged/fake academic, professional and other documents commit(s) an offence and shall be disqualified and/or deregistered.

3.0 SELECTION PANEL

1. Chairperson, Board of Management     – Chairperson.
   1. Head of Institution             – Secretary
   2. Subject Specialist             – member
   3. TSC County Director/Representative     – member  

3.1 SELECTION PANEL FOR SCHOOLS WITHOUT BOMs

TSC County Director/Representative        – chairperson

Head of the Institution            – secretary

Subject Specialist                – member

PA Chairperson                 – member

N/B: The TSC County Director shall ensure that the Selection Panel is well sanitized to conduct the interview within the COVID-19 containment measures as set by the Ministry of Health.

4.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

1. The Secretary, Board of Management shall present a system-generated list received from the County Director of all applicants to the selection panel.
2. The selection panel shall conduct interviews for those who meet the criteria. The County Director should note any inconsistency(ies), make the decision(s) based on the guidelines ad advise the applicants/panel and the Commission accordingly.
3. Applicants shall present themselves in person to the selection panel. The panel shall score each applicant based on the selection score guide (Appendices 1 (a) or (b)

NB: an applicant whose special need is related to hearing and/or speech shall be allowed to be accompanied by a sign language interpreter.

5.0 QUALIFICATIONS

1. Graduate Teachers

Applicants must have a minimum mean grade of C+ (plus) at KCSE and C+ (plus) in each of the two teaching subjects or two (2) Principles and one (1) Subsidiary pass at ‘A” level. In addition, they must have:

• A Bachelor of Education Degree with two (2) teaching subjects.
• A Bachelor of Science or Arts Degree plus a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) with two teaching subjects.
• Bachelor of Science with Education/Bachelor of Arts with Education with two teaching subjects.

NB:

1. Bachelor of Education holders with Mean Grade of C (Plain) and C (Plain) in the two teaching subjects at KCSE and have undertaken a Diploma in Education or gone through the A-Level system in the relevant area(s) are eligible.
2. Bridging/Pre-University certificates for those who completed the course before December 31, 2015, may be considered.

2. Diploma Teachers

Applicants must have a minimum Mean Grade of C+ (Plus) at KCSE or its equivalent with at least C+ (Plus) (or Credit pass) in the two teaching subjects or one (1) Principle and two (2) Subsidiaries at ‘A’-Leve. In addition, they must have: a Diploma in Education from a recognized Teacher Training institution.

NB:

1. Diploma Teacher who graduated in 2008 or before with a Mean Grade of C (Plain) and C (Plain) in the two teaching subjects are eligible;
2. Hearing and Visually impaired teachers who enrolled for training with Mean Grade of C (Plain) and C (Plain) in the two teaching subjects are eligible.

3. Technical Teachers

Applicants must have a minimum Mean Grade of C+ (Plus) at KCSE or its equivalent with at least (C+) (Plus) (or Credit Pass) in the two teaching subjects or one (1) Principle and two (2) Subsidiaries at “A’-Level. In addition, they must have:

1. Bachelor of Education Technology (Bed TECH); OR
2. (i) Bachelor of Science (BSc) in any relevant technical Subject (s) /Course; or (ii) Higher Diploma in a technical course; or (iii) A Diploma in a technical course.

Further, applicants under category (b) above MUST possess a Diploma in Technical Teacher Education from Kenya Technical Teachers College (KTTC) OR A Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from a Recognized University.

NB:

1. Applicants whose training is in subjects that are currently not in the Curriculum do not qualify, irrespective of their having undertaken a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) and/or enhancement. This category includes but not limited to Bachelor of Science /Bachelor of Arts in:

• Natural Resources
• Meteorology
• Forestry
• Animal husbandry
• Horticulture
• Farm Machinery
• Fisheries
• Anthropology
• Sociology
• Theology/Divinity
• Journalism etc.

1. Applicants with Economic/Commerce/Accounting can apply for Business Studies and those with Social Education and Ethics (SEE0 for CRE/IRE vacancies.
2. Diploma Teachers with English/other subjects qualify for employment as English/Literature teachers.
3. All applicants must have studied the two teaching subjects at KCSE except for Agriculture, Business Studies, Home Science, and Computer, one should have attained a minimum of C+ (plus) in Mathematics in KCSE. For those who did not study Agriculture and Home Science, one should have attained a minimum of C+ in Biology at KCSE.
4. Graduate Teachers should have studied a minimum of eight (8) course units in each teaching subject.
5. Applicants presenting enhancement certificate(s)/official transcripts in teaching subject(s) from a recognized institution(s) qualify for employment if they scored at least C+ (plus) in the enhanced subject at KCSE.
6. Applicants previously employed under contract and whose services were terminated dute to the inadequate units in teaching subjects and have since obtained enhancement certificates with adequate units are eligible to apply.
7. Applicants applying for computer studies MUST have taken teaching methods in the subject.
8. For applicants trained in Special Needs Education, Kenya Sign Language (KSL) or Braille are considered as teaching subjects e.g. Biology/KSL and Geography/Braille.

6.0 VALIDATION OF DOCUMENTS BY THE TSC COUNTY DIRECTOR

The TSC County Directors should:

1. Ensure that the Application for Employment Forms has all the attachments required;
2. Vet the recruitment documents to verify that the application(s) recruited qualify for employment as per the provisions of the recruitment guidelines;
3. Ensures that all documents are duly signed as required; including the score sheets, Minutes of the Selection Panels, and Section C of the Application for Employment form confirming that the candidate qualifies/merits to be employed.
4. Compile complaints received and submit appropriate action taken or recommendations to the Commission.

7.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE TSC HEADQUARTERS

The TSC County Director is required to hand over the following documents to the TSC Headquarters:

Duly filled Application for Employment Form(s) together with a copy of the acknowledgment of receipt of the application for employment, certified copies of Certificate of Registration as a teacher, academic certificates, professional certificates, and all official transcripts, identity card, NCPWD Card (where applicable), Affidavits (where applicable), evidence of service as an intern (where applicable) and two passport size photographs in respect of successful candidate(s);

A list of all interviewed applicants in order of merit for the advertised vacancies in (Appendix (III a).

A copy of the system generated list of all applicants clearly showing those who failed to attend the interview (Appendix III b);

List of applicants with special needs (Appendix VI).

Duly signed Minutes of the Board of Management Meeting;

A commitment letter duly signed by the applicant binding him/her to teach in the station for a minimum period of five (5) years, and three (3) years in the case of the North Eastern Region;

Completed selection score guide duly signed;

Copy of teacher registration certificate;

Certified copy of a bank plate;

Duly completed pay point particulars form;

Copy of KRA PIN certificate;

Copy of NHIF card;

8.0 COMPLAINTS

Any applicant who is dissatisfied with the process 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 process;

The TSC County Director should within seven (7) days analyze and address all complaints raised after the selection process has been completed and thereafter inform the Headquarters on the action taken;

Where the complaint is leveled against the TSC County Director, the TSC Headquarters shall investigate the allegations and take appropriate action.

9.0 IMPORTANT NOTES

Under no circumstances should the Application for Employment Form(s) be defaced or photocopied for use.

Clarification and advice on issues of qualifications arising from these guidelines should be sought from the TSC County Directors.

Notwithstanding the decentralization of the function of teacher recruitment pursuant to Section 20 of the TSC Act, the Commission is not preluded in carrying out recruitment directly from the TSC Headquarters.

Attached find the following Appendices during the selection exercise

Appendix I:    a) Selection Score Guide for Secondary School Teachers

        b) Selection Score Guide for Secondary Schools Teachers living with disabilities

        c) Grading System

Appendix II: Board of Management & TSC Checklists

Appendix III a) List of interviewed applicants.

Appendix III b): List of all applicants clearly showing those who never turned up for the interview.

Appendix IV: Declaration Form I

Appendix V: Declaration Form II

Appendix VI: List of applicants with special needs

• The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Education P.O. BOX 30040-00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Principal Secretary State Department of Basic Education and Early Learning Ministry of Education P.O. BOX 30040-00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Principal Secretary State Department of Vocational & Technical Training Ministry of Education and Early Learning P.O. BOX 30040-00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Principal Secretary
  National Treasury P.O. BOX 30007 – 00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Principal Secretary

     Interior and National Coordination

     Office of the President

       P.O. BOX 30510-00100

• Clerk to the National Assembly Parliament Building P.O. BOX 41842-00100 NAIROBI
  
• Clerk to the Senate Clerk’s Chambers P.O. BOX 41842-00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Secretary-General
  Kenya National Union of Teachers P.O. BOX 30407-00100 NAIROBI
  
• The Secretary-General Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers P.O. BOX 30412-00100 NAIROBI
  

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