TSC 2025 Recruitment Guidelines & Scoring Guide for Primary Schools Teachers

GUIDELINES FOR RECRUITMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, ON PERMANENT & PENSIONABLE TERMS -2025 FINANCIAL YEAR

TSC CIRCULAR NO:19/2024

TSC Regional Directors TSC County Directors
TSC Sub-County Directors Curriculum Support Officers

1.1     Following the advertisement for recruitment of teachers for Primary schools, the Regional Director, Nairobi, all County Directors and Sub-County Directors are required to conduct a selection exercise for applicants desiring employment with TSC.

1.2     All  applicants  MUST  be  duly  registered  teachers  per  Section  23(1)  of  the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012. Applicants who are not duly registered shall not be considered for recruitment.

1.3     Applicants must submit their applications to the Secretary Teachers Service Commission  through  the  online  platform  www.teachersonline.go.ke  for  the
county/Sub-county where a vacancy has been declared.

1.4     The selection panel is expected to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability, as stipulated in the Public Officer Ethics Act and TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (CoCE, 2015).

1.5     The TSC Regional Directors shall induct TSC County Directors within their areas, who,  in  turn,  shall  induct  members  of  the  Selection  Panels  involved  in  the recruitment process. The areas of induction will include the relevant Sections of the TSC Act and the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT, 2015) before the commencement of the selection exercise.

1.6     TSC Sub-County Directors, in liaison with their respective TSC County Directors and  the Regional Director in  the case  of Nairobi,  shall  ensure that  venues earmarked  for  the  selection  process  are  accessible  to  applicants  with
disabilities.

1.7     Applicants whose names vary in the academic and professional certificates and identification cards MUST present an Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya, explaining the name
variance.

1.8     Applicants who re-sat either KCPE or KCSE examinations (or their equivalent) MUST present certified copies of the certificate(s) of the national examination(s) for all attempts.  Copies of Certificates must be certified by the Sub-County Directors.  In case the exam was cancelled, applicants must present a letter from the Head of Institution and a certified copy of the KNEC printout from the
school confirming the cancellation.

1.9     Upon generating the Applicants’ Lists, the TSC County Director shall share the lists  with  the  TSC  Sub-County  Directors.  The  TSC  Sub-County  Directors  shall convene the Sub-County Selection Panel(s). The Selection Panel(s) shall identify interview  venues,  dates,  and  times,  which  shall  be  communicated  to  the
applicants.

1.10    All  the  applicants  shall  be  invited  for  the  verification  of  documents.  The applicants shall be informed of the interview venue, date and time at least seven (7) days before the verification exercise through SMS.

1.11    The verification exercise shall be conducted at the Sub-County level by the TSC Sub-County Selection Panel under the direction of the TSC Sub-County Director.

1.12    After the verification exercise, the TSC Sub-County Director shall compile a Merit List of all applicants whose documents have been verified.

1.13    During the selection, each applicant shall be assigned a serial number.

1.14    Applicants  must  present  original  and  legible  photocopies  of  the  following, among other relevant documents: –
1.14.1 National identification card;
1.14.2 Certificate of Registration as a teacher;
1.14.3 Evidence  of  the  completion  of  Upgrade  Diploma  in  Primary  Teacher Education or UDPTE Certificate where applicable.
1.14.4 PTE Certificate;

1.14.5 KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re- sat exam);
1.14.6 KCPE certificate or it’s equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re- sat exam);
1.14.7 Letter of Certification of results by KNEC (where applicable);
1.14.8 Primary  and  Secondary  School  leaving  certificates  and  other  relevant testimonials;
1.14.9 National   Council   of   Persons   with   Disabilities   (NCPWD)   Card   (where applicable);
1.14.10    An Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap
15 of the Laws of Kenya to explain the variance in names.

Note: Serving  interns will only be required to present their identity cards during the verification process.

Persons  with  disabilities  shall  be  required  to  indicate  their  disability  status together with the nature of disabilities to inform their placement;

1.16    In  the  event  of  a  tie  in  the  ranking,  consideration  for  selection  shall  be determined in the following order:
1.16.1 Length of stay since graduation;
1.16.2 Strength of academic and professional certificates presented.

N/B:     If applicants tie in PTE/DPTE Upgrade Certificate points, aggregate KCSE grades or their equivalent shall be considered.
1.17    The selection panel shall vet each applicant to determine whether he/she meets the requirements of the TSC advertisement during the selection exercise.

1.18    Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously been employed by the Commission on Permanent and Pensionable terms.

1.19    Preference shall also be given to applicants from the respective Sub-Counties or Counties.

1.20    Any Application for Employment form filled or Offer of Employment issued based on  misleading  information  provided  by  the  applicant  shall  be  cancelled immediately without any further reference to the candidate. This underscores the seriousness of providing accurate and truthful information in the application
process.

Each Sub–County Selection Panel shall comprise of the following members: –
a)  The Sub County Director                                     –        Chairperson
b)  TSC Sub County Human Resource Officer              –        Secretary
c)  Curriculum Support Officer                                 –        Member
TOTAL                                                               3          

3.1   The TSC Sub County Director shall verify the TSC registration status of all applicants and present a list of all applicants to the Selection Panel;

3.2   Applicants must appear in person before the Selection Panel on the set dates.

3.3     Original academic and professional certificates shall be scrutinized to verify their authenticity.

3.4     The TSC Sub County Director shall certify photocopies of the certificates and other documents before forwarding them to the TSC County Director.

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

4.1     Applicants shall be awarded marks as per the score sheet (Appendix 1(a) and
(b).

4.2     Where applicants tie in scores, the panel shall consider the criteria under Clause
1.17 of these guidelines.

4.3     Upon verification of academic, professional and other relevant documents, the Sub-County selection panel shall:
4.3.1   Compile a Sub-County Merit List.
4.3.2   Submit the Merit Lists to the TSC County Directors, who shall compile a County Merit List for verification at the Headquarters.

1. Applicants with hearing and speech disabilities shall be allowed to work with a sign language interpreter.

The TSC Sub County Director shall be required to submit the following to the TSC County Director: –

5.1     List of all applicants who presented documents for verification at the Sub County level (Appendix II);
5.2     Sub County Merit List (Appendix III);
5.3     Summary of complaints raised (if any) together with the action taken;
5.4     Minutes of the Sub-County Selection Panel duly signed by the Chairperson and
Secretary clearly showing how the final list of the successful applicants was agreed upon.

5.5     The TSC County Director shall be required to compile the County Merit List for
onward submission to the TSC Headquarters within the stipulated timeliness to be used for verification at headquarters.

5.6     The TSC Regional Director is responsible for overseeing the entire recruitment process within their respective region, ensuring compliance with established
guidelines and procedures.

NB: The TSC County Director is responsible for ensuring that the exercise is fair and transparent. TSC County Director must also ensure that all documents are in order as provided  in  the  approved  checklist  and  appropriately  signed/certified  before
submission to the TSC Headquarters.

6.1     Any applicant 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 [email protected] not later than seven (7) days after
the selection exercise;

6.2     The TSC County Director should, within seven  (7)  days  of receipt of such a complaint, analyze and address all complaints raised after the selection process has been completed and, after that, submit a report to the Headquarters on
the action taken.

6.3     Where an applicant is dissatisfied with the decision of the TSC County Director in
(ii) above, or where the complaint is made against the TSC County Director, the applicant shall appeal to the Appeals Committee on staffing functions at the TSC Headquarters. The Appeals Committee shall investigate the allegations and
take appropriate action within fourteen (14) days.

7.1     The TSC County Director shall submit the following to the TSC Headquarters;
7.1.1   Copies of minutes of the Sub-County Selection Panel duly signed by the Chairperson and Secretary and verified by the TSC County Director;
7.1.2   County Merit Lists; (Appendix IV)
7.1.3   List of all selected applicants drawn from the Sub- County/County merit list
(Appendix V)
7.1.4   List of all invited applicants who did not appear for verification (Appendix V1);
7.1.5   List of applicants with disability; (Appendix VII)
7.1.6   Duly signed Offer of Employment Letter;
7.1.7   Original statement of confirmation of PTE/DPTE (Upgrade)/KCSE/KCPE results from KNEC for applicants without original certificates;
7.1.8   Original Medical Examination report in form GP 69;

7.2     Certified copies of the following documents in the order indicated below: –
7.2.1   National identification card;
7.2.2   Certificate of Registration as a teacher;
7.2.3   PTE/DPTE Upgrade certificate;
7.2.4   KCSE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for all attempts if one re- sat exams);

7.2.5   KCPE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for all attempts if one re-sat exams);
7.2.6   Letter of certification of results by KNEC (where applicable);
7.2.7   Primary  and  Secondary  School  leaving  certificates  and  other  relevant testimonials;
7.2.8   National   Council   of   Persons   with   Disabilities   (NCPWD)   Card   (where applicable);
7.2.9   An Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya to explain the variance in names;
7.2.10 KRA PIN certificate, Bank form and Bank plate/card (front face) to facilitate Appointment on the payroll.
7.2.11 Panel score sheet (Appendix I) both in soft (excel) via [email protected]
and hard copy for the selected applicants.

8.1     Merit Lists shall be made available to members of the public wishing to see them on request in a manner that will not jeopardize the recruitment process and in
total adherence to the Data Protection Act, 2019.

8.2     All enquiries arising from these guidelines should be made to the respective TSC County Director.

8.3     Notwithstanding the decentralization of the function of teacher recruitment pursuant to Section 20 of the TSC Act, the Commission may carry out recruitment from the TSC Headquarters.

8.4     The TSC Regional Directors shall:
8.4.1   Ensure guidelines are adhered to within their regions;
8.4.2   Coordinate the teacher recruitment process within their respective regions;
8.4.3   Sensitize  County  Directors  and  oversee  the  sensitization  of  other  officers, including members of the Selection Panels involved in the process;
8.4.4   Undertake measures to resolve complaints arising from the process within their regions;
9.0     Attached find the following Appendices;
9.1     Appendix   I (a):   Panel Score Sheet for primary school teachers.
9.2     Appendix  1 (b):   Panel Score Sheet for primary school teachers with disability
9.3     Appendix   II:  Sub County Registration list of applicants presenting verification documents.
9.4     Appendix III:  Sub County Merit List.
9.5     Appendix IV:  County Merit List
9.6     Appendix V:   List of selected applicants
9.7     Appendix VI:  List of applicants who did not appear for verification
9.8     Appendix VII:  List of applicants with disabilities.

PANEL SCORE SHEET FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

PANEL SCORE SHEET FOR TEACHERS WITH DISABILITIES