Blow for 219,000 teachers as TSC revises hiring rules

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) plans to develop a data bank for interviewed teachers for secondary schools to ease replacing teachers who exit the service within the 2022/2023 Financial Year.

In mid-July this year 2022 the Commission listed about 219,311 jobless teachers in secondary schools who had applied for only 4, 000 new vacancies in secondary schools where by only five were candidates (teachers) were shortlisted for each vacancy.

From the list of five shortlisted and interviewed candidates per vacancy in every secondary school in the country, the School Selection panel, the Board of Management will be required to develop a vacancy specific merit list.

In the recruitment guidelines for post-primary teachers on permanent and pensionable terms outlined under Circular No. 9/2022 dated June 30, 2022 released by the Commission’s Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Nancy Macharia, the merit list shall be used in TSC subsequent and similar recruitment in the County.

“The Merit List shall be used in the subsequent recruitment processes involving a similar vacancy in the County within the financial year or as directed by the Commission from time to time,” said Dr. Macharia in the Circular.

Consequently, priority will be given to those in the data bank in any future recruitment within 2022/2023 FY that is between July 2022 and June 2023.

TSC will not have to conduct a fresh hiring exercise as it was the case before and the move will significantly to cuts incurred on the recruitment exercise.

Teachers who were shortlisted and attended the just concluded interviews will automatically be considered for employment when the Commission will be doing any replacement of teachers who exit the service through natural attrition.

According to the guidelines after developing the vacancy specific merit list, the school selection panels shall be required to submit the list to TSC Sub-County Directors, who will submit the list for compilation of subjects specific merit list to the County Directors to generate a databank for the County, which shall be used to fill subject specific vacancies in subsequent recruitment processes within the FY arising within the County.

“During the interview, the school selection panel shall develop a vacancy – specific Merit List. The Merit List shall be used in the subsequent recruitment processes involving a similar vacancy in the County within the financial year or as directed by the Commission from time to time,” instructed Dr. Macharia.

The names in the School selection panel’s vacancy specific merit list which is used to develop subjects specific merit list data bank is derived from the five shortlisted applicants for every vacancy advertised, which was generated from TSC system generated applicant’s list.

The TSC County Director shall then be required to forward the subject specific merit list to the Regional Director who will compile the Regional subject specific merit lists for onward submission to TSC Director Staffing at the Headquarters.

“This data bank of interviewed candidates shall be used to replace those exiting service within the Financial Year. The subject specific data bank shall be used to fill vacancies arising from the County, Region and nationally within the Financial Year,” said Dr. Macharia in the Circular.

The Commission notes further that where candidates are exhausted from the subject specific County data bank, replacement shall be done using the Regional data bank; and where candidates are exhausted within a region, vacancies shall be filled using the Subject Specific National data bank.

“Where candidates are exhausted from the subject specific County data bank, replacement shall be done using the Regional data bank. Where candidates are exhausted within a region, vacancies shall be filled using the Subject Specific National data bank,” said Dr. Macharia in the Circular.

She adds: “The subject specific data bank shall be used to fill vacancies arising from the County, Region and nationally within the Financial Year.”

In this FY the Commission advertised a total of 14, 000 new vacancies in both primary and secondary schools which include 4, 000 in secondary and 1, 000 in primary schools, and a total of 8,230 vacancies which were also up for grab to replace teachers who have quit the service through natural attrition with the vacancies being both in primary schools (6,539) and post-primary institutions (1,691).

According to TSC in 2020/2021 Financial Year alone, they registered 42,795 new teachers.