The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is set to commence the retooling of 70,000 teachers from Public and Private Schools including Special Needs Schools in readiness for the transition of the first cohort of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) to Grage 9 in January.
While addressing more than 15,000 Head Teachers in Mombasa on the third day of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA) conference, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said the National Assembly had allocated Sh1 billion for the exercise.
“Details of the retooling exercise have been released, and the multi-agency training will kick off after the end of the ongoing KCSE,” said the TSC CEO.
She noted that the Commission has retooled 60,642 Grade 2 and Grade 7 teachers in 2023. Last year, 36,000 teachers were promoted based on government budgetary allocation.
Teachers were assured that more will be promoted in the current Financial Year before schools open for the first term. Teachers from Special Needs Schools were urged to apply, as TSC never received enough applicants even after reducing the requirements.
Dr. Macharia urged the National Assembly to allocate more funds to promote teachers.
She assured Kenyans that following the advertisement of 20,000 interns’ teachers, they will complete the recruitment to report in schools in January.
She announced that they are at the tail end of conversion to Permanent and Pensionable terms for 46,000 teacher interns.
Teachers were encouraged to work harder since Grade 9 will form the first cohort, which will set a summative examination that will form the basis of admission to senior schools.
On added responsibilities to Head Teachers occasioned by the implementation of CBC, the TSC CEO asked the Kenya National Union of Teachers and KEPSHA to find out if they had included the extra responsibilities in a Memorandum they delivered to the commission before the 2025/2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
On technology, Dr. Macharia said TSC has been undertaking automation of its services to improve service delivery. It has also introduced a live-streaming approach to enhance curriculum delivery.
“By the end of this year, the commission will have trained 1000 teachers in lessons live streaming. We must therefore encourage our teachers to embrace technology and ICT integration in curriculum delivery,” she stated.
National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, Research, and Technology Julius Melly rooted for digital learning in schools leveraging internet connectivity. He urged teachers to be techno-savvy.
He called for investment in ICT infrastructures in schools to make the schools digital hubs.
“Teaching and learning is an aspect of technology today. You can never teach or give quality education without very robust technology in our schools.
Parliament, he stated, is trying to assist TSC, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information Communication, and Digital Economy to develop a robust legal framework that will enable teaching and learning even in remote areas through technology.
“The adoption of technology in education is transforming how knowledge is accessed, delivered, and personalised across the globe and, more importantly, in Kenya. The integration of digital tools and resources into education aligns with Vision 2030, aiming to build a knowledge society and improve accessibility to quality education for all.
The shift to CBC, he noted, reinforces the need for robust technological support as the curriculum emphasises practical skills, digital literacy, and inclusivity.
“I want to ask the ministry that the next subject that has to be taught across is digital literacy across all subjects in schools. Every teacher has to have an aspect of digital literacy.”
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu called for special preference for teachers because of additional responsibilities and the changing of Head Teachers to Principals of Comprehensive Schools.
“Additional responsibilities call for additional remunerations,” he stated.
By Sadik Hassan
