The Commission is taking stock of all unemployed teachers ahead of mass teacher recruitment in November.

TSC and the Ministry of Education are also in a deal that could see the Commission start employing ECDE teachers.

All registered teachers who are yet to be employed by TSC are required to use specified links issued by the Commission officials to register online.

Click this link for online registration of unemployed teachers by TSC (Contact your local TSC office for direction if you encounter problem with the link)

One should visit his/her home TSC Sub County Directors office for direction on online registration.

All unemployed teachers, duly registered with the TSC, should report to the TSC Sub County Director for a Census.

TSC wants to establish the correct number of unemployed teachers in Kenya. This applies to all cadres of teachers i.e ECDE, Primary, Post Primary.

Board of Management (BOM) teachers are also considered to be unemployed.

Among the details required from the teachers include the full name, TSC number, ID number, level of education e.g PTE, Diploma, Degree, subjects combination, home sub county and year of graduation.

All teachers including ECDE certificate and Diploma teachers are required to take part in this mandatory exercise.

Click this link for online registration of unemployed teachers by TSC (Contact your local TSC office for direction if you encounter problem with the link)

Recently the Commission was asked to prioritize recruitment of teachers aged forty years and above.

The lawmakers told TSC to prioritize year of graduation and age when employing teachers.

TSC has been giving priority to local teachers especially those interned during recruitment exercise.

Nancy Macharia has however distanced herself from the backdoor employment of teachers through politicians.

She said she is not aware of on alleged employment of teachers by politicians. This is despite massive evidence of politicians meddling with employment process.

Last year politicians took charge in replacement of 6,000 teachers. Former CS Ezekiel Machogu was among politicians captured dishing out employment letters in a funeral service.

This year a repeat of same things continue to happen. Politicians including MPs are issuing employment letters in disregard of merit.

Click this link for online registration of unemployed teachers by TSC (Contact your local TSC office for direction if you encounter problem with the link)

The government spokeperson Isaac Mwaura revealed will employ a total of 24,000 teachers this year.

There are close to 398,000 teachers who are yet to be employed by TSC. The government is also planning to export most of them abroad in a program dubbed ‘Mwalimu Majuu’.

Recently a number of teachers were exported to teach in Qatar. The government through TSC airlifted teachers with Kiswahili subject combination.

Both teachers with Diploma and Degree certificates and with Kiswahili/Any combinations were sent to Qatar and will receive upto Ksh 170,000 monthly as salary.

TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said those employed or on internship with the Commission are qualified to apply to be exported but must first resign before they can be considered.

The government has made arrangement for teachers who successfully apply to work abroad to be issued with a passport within three days after application.

The government has developed a policy framework and guidelines that will guide a plan to find jobs in at least 17 countries abroad for thousands of unemployed teachers.

According to Nancy Macharia, the policy has been developed in response to requests by foreign governments for export of Kenyan teachers.

“Our research and consultations with the State Department of Diaspora Affairs confirm that there is high demand for Kenyan teachers in USA, Ireland and Germany – especially those who can teach English. Then there is South Africa for those who can teach Kiswahili, Thailand and other Middle East Countries. The policy is a targeted response to this market demand,” Ms Macharia said.

According to the commission, as at May 2024, it had on its register a total of 714,234 teachers, with 360,000 under employment by the TSC on a permanent basis.

“Other countries that are targeted for teacher exports include Kuwait, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, which require special needs education teachers and Qatar (Islamic religious education and science teachers). Kiswahili teachers are needed in China, France, Botswana and Japan,” Ms Macharia said.

She added that those qualified to teach English are needed in France, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Russia, Spain, China, and the UAE.

The placements abroad will be through government-to-government labour export initiatives.

“The commission has received several delegations asking for partnership for the export programme. This necessitated the development of a policy framework to guide the process. As a government institution, TSC will work closely with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour, who will be responsible for exploring the markets for teacher export,” Ms Macharia said.

The selection criteria will define the essential skills a teacher has, qualifications, and experiences required for a specific international teaching job.

To qualify for placement abroad, a teacher must be a Kenyan citizen and completed training and graduated with a degree, diploma, or certificate in education from a recognised institution and meet other requirements of registration by the TSC.

Click this link for online registration of unemployed teachers by TSC (Contact your local TSC office for direction if you encounter problem with the link)

The teacher must be registered by the TSC and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

The teacher must also meet any additional requirements set by the host country, such as specialised training, professional certifications, language proficiency, or other specific job requirements.

“The commission will liaise with respective ministries and agencies to provide an orientation programme for the selected teachers that will cover issues that include security, medical, transport, terms of engagement, remuneration, career guidance and development, cultural sensitivity, transparency and accessibility, language skills (where applicable), and specific educational practices prevalent in the host country,” the policy document reads.

The TSC will also advocate for standardised contracts to detail all aspects of the terms and conditions of service including the salary, work hours, benefits, housing, insurance and repatriation terms.

“Teachers employed by the TSC on permanent and pensionable terms are required to resign from their current positions in order to take up international teaching jobs. The TSC will fill these vacancies to ensure teaching and learning are not interrupted. Subsequently, upon return, the teachers are not guaranteed a job but will be eligible to apply for vacancies as they become available,” the policy states.

In July 2024, the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi flagged off some teachers who had secured teaching jobs in the US.

This was, however, not a government project but organised through a placement agency.

According to the document, the policy framework will formalise engagement of Kenyan teachers who will work abroad and also protect their interests “to “collaborate with relevant stakeholders and partners to provide guidance on clear, fair, and competitive terms and conditions of service for Kenyan teachers to be employed outside the Kenyan borders”.

It also aims at cultivating collaborative partnerships with the host countries. It advocates for global educational cooperation and lifelong learning through a structured approach that engages all categories of teachers in opportunities abroad.

“The implementation of this policy framework will therefore support Kenyan teachers as they venture into the international labour market where they will apply their skills and competencies,” the document reads.

Despite Kenya facing a deficit of teachers, the government has been unable to absorb all the qualified and registered tutors.

In October last year, when the TSC advertised for 46,000 vacancies, it received 314,117 applications, highlighting the high unemployment rate among graduates.

Schools at all levels have staffing gaps, which the government has been unable to plug for years. Junior school has been the worst hit since it rolled out two years ago.

While campaigning for presidency in 2022, President William Ruto had promised to employ 116,000 within two years but it has proved to be a difficult task.

“International teaching opportunities offer Kenyan teachers invaluable professional growth and development. Exposure to diverse educational systems, teaching methodologies, and cultural contexts enhances their effectiveness as educators. Additionally, Kenyan teachers working abroad contribute to the generation of remittances, supporting their families and boosting the country’s foreign exchange earnings,” the policy document reads.

According to the policy, the TSC will establish and maintain an updated database of Kenyan teachers who are available for international teaching employment opportunities and match them with relevant positions. The commission will also establish a criterion for selecting the teachers.

“The commission will establish a database that supports real-time data entry, storage, and retrieval of information about teachers that includes personal details, academic and professional qualifications, areas of expertise, host country and any relevant information. The database will also assist in data analysis and reporting,” the document reads.

Click this link for online registration of unemployed teachers by TSC (Contact your local TSC office for direction if you encounter problem with the link)

The TSC will then establish a standardised application process where teachers can submit their credentials and express their interest in teaching opportunities abroad. Access to the database will be restricted to authorised personnel only.

The database will incorporate a feedback mechanism to gather insights from teachers about the registration and matching process and use the feedback to improve the database while the policy framework will be reviewed every three years or when the need arises.

President William Ruto’s administration has made labour migration a key pillar of its plan to create jobs.

The policy has divided opinion with critics questioning why the government should not create jobs locally and pointing to the slave-like conditions of some of the low-level jobs on offer, especially in the Middle East.