TSC Urged to Reassess Teacher Recruitment Criteria Beyond KCSE Scores
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is facing renewed calls to revise its teacher recruitment policies by placing greater emphasis on academic advancement rather than solely relying on Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) scores.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) argues that the current policy unfairly disadvantages candidates who may not have performed well in secondary school but have since achieved higher qualifications.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu expressed concern that the requirement for diploma teachers to have at least a C (plain) grade in KCSE fails to recognize the educational progress many individuals have made after completing secondary education.
He noted that several professionals in the education sector, including professors and university lecturers, did not initially achieve high KCSE scores but later earned impressive academic credentials.
Oyuu argued that it is unjust for the TSC to exclude these individuals from teaching positions in junior secondary schools based solely on their initial grades.
Many educators have demonstrated dedication by obtaining degrees and postgraduate qualifications, often while working full-time, and he urged the Commission to prioritize a candidate’s highest level of education.
According to Oyuu, such dedication and progress should be acknowledged and rewarded during the hiring process.
He illustrated his point with the example of a student who began with a low KCSE score but advanced through colleges in Kenya and abroad to ultimately become a professor, arguing that early academic performance should not be the sole measure of a teacher’s potential or capability.
Oyuu also highlighted that KCSE results may not accurately reflect a student’s abilities, as various factors, such as socioeconomic conditions or the school environment, could have influenced their performance.
He suggested that some students might have performed better if they had attended more prestigious schools or had access to better resources.
Given the ongoing shortage of teachers, Oyuu emphasized the need for a more inclusive recruitment strategy. He pointed out that many teachers are managing classrooms with over 100 students, far exceeding the recommended teacher-student ratio of 1:45, which negatively impacts the quality of education.
In light of the shared goal of educating students, the union also called for collaboration between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and primary school teachers to eliminate disparities in staffing.
KNUT has now urged both the TSC and the government to reassess hiring practices and adopt a more progressive approach to teacher employment.