Qualifications for secondary school teachers in Kenya

Secondary school Teacher during a Maths lesson/[Photo Courtesy]

In this article, we provide the requirements for a secondary school teacher in Kenya, as set by the TSC (Teacher Service Commission).

Required qualifications

TSC has set diverse requirements for any Kenyan who has a desire of becoming a secondary school teacher.

TSC requirements for Graduate secondary school teachers

You must hold a Bachelor of Education degree in two teaching subjects together with the following:

Must have a mean grade C+ (Minimum) and or its equivalent.
In addition, you should have a C+ in two subjects of specialization

TSC may also consider you if you have a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree

A mean grade of C+ Minimum in your O levels.

Besides, you should have a C+ and above in the two subjects of specialization.

You can also make the cut by holding PGDE (Post Graduate Diploma in Education) from an accredited university for this Degree.

Note: Holders of Bachelor of Education degree plus C Plain KCSE mean grade and a C plain grade in the two specialization subjects at KCSE will be considered as long as they have pursued a diploma in Education or have an A-Level qualification.

Holders of Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degrees with Education or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees with Education qualify if they have the mandatory two teaching subjects.

Another group that qualifies are those who are currently practising as primary school teachers and have met the requirements below.

Must be a Kenyan citizen
Must have a P1 Certificate.
Must have a Bachelor’s Degree (BeD) in Education (with the 2 mandatory teaching subjects).
Must have a KCSE mean grade of C+ (Plus) at the KCSE (or its equivalent) and a C+ (Plus) at the KCSE (or its equivalent) and a C+ in the two teaching subjects.
Be currently employed by TSC

Technical Teachers

Just like the other requirements, technical teachers must hold a minimum of a C+ (Plus) mean grade at KCSE or an equivalent qualification of a C+ (minimum) or a credit pass in the subjects you have preferred to specialize in or 1 principle and 2 subsidiaries (at ‘A’ levels).

Besides, you should have the following qualifications:

A BeD Tech (Bachelor of Education in Technology) degree OR
A Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in the relevant technical Subject(s)/Courses or
A higher National Diploma in an applicable Technical Course.

You should also hold a DTTE (Diploma in Technical Teacher Education) from KTTC (Kenya Technical Trainers College) or a PGDE from an accredited University.

TSC Requirements for secondary school teachers with a Diploma

Qualifications for secondary school teacher -Important tips

If your degree is in subjects not taught in secondary schools, TSC will not consider the fact that you have since graduated with a PGDE notwithstanding.

These include holder of Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in areas like Forestry, Natural Resources, petroleum studies, Meteorology, Fisheries, and more.

TSC can also consider Graduates of the following subjects for Business Studies and IRE/CRE teaching vacancies:

Economics/Accounting
Social Education & Ethics (SEE)

For Diploma holders, you can apply for English/Literature teaching positions as long as you have a combination of English and any other subject.

However, for Agriculture, Home Science, Computer studies, and Business Studies, you must have taken the 2 specialization subjects at the KCSE level to be eligible. However, for TSC to consider you, you need to have scored at least a C+ in Math at the KCSE if you are targeting Business studies or Computer Studies if you had not taken them in form 4.

You must have a mean grade of C+ in Biology if you are targeting either Agriculture or Home Science if you had not taken them in form 4.

Candidates with enhancement certificates/transcripts from any recognized institution shall qualify for employment.

Applicants who had previously been employed under contract terms but later terminated due to having inadequate units in the teaching subjects as per the TSC approved subject combinations can qualify on condition that they have since acquired the requisite certificates in suitable enhancement courses.

You must to have taken at least 8 course units for every teaching subject to qualify.

You should have pursued a pre-university, bridging course, or A – level in the relevant subjects if you had not attained the required mean grade of C+ in those units at the KCSE whether you’re a Degree or Diploma holder.

N/B: TSC can only accept a bridging certificate if you had a C plain in the applicable subjects and not lower. Besides, you should have pursued the bridging certificate prior to joining your teaching course.

The minimum qualification considered for teaching vacancies in secondary schools in Kenya is a Diploma in Education from approved teaching training colleges in Kenya. In addition, you must also have studied TSC approved subject combinations.

Other Requirements

In order to stand a chance for a TSC employment, you have to meet these additional requirements;

You have to be a Kenyan citizen.
You must not be more than 45 years old.
You have to be a registered teacher (have a TSC number) according to the provision of the TSC act, Section 23.

If by any chance, TSC has registered you as a teacher but you do not yet have the Certificate of Registration, you can attach the online print out of your TSC number together with the original bank slip reflecting your payment to the TSC for the registration.

In addition, if you are missing an academic or professional certificate at the time of applying, you must prove that you have applied to KNEC for confirmation of such certificates. It is upon you to follow up with KNEC (within 14 days).

Secondary school teacher employment for those above 45 years old

TSC guidelines stipulate that teachers who are over 45 years can apply for employment but it will be on contractual terms.

TSC can hire these teachers over 45 years old for a 3-year long contract, renewable subject to achieving satisfactory performance and they can only serve up to the age of sixty-five years (65).

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