Why primary school teachers will not be hired for the next few years
Education
By
Lewis Nyaundi
| Feb 21, 2026
Thousands of unemployed primary school teachers have been dealt a major blow after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced it will not recruit teachers to the institutions, as they already have a surplus.
The commission now says its hiring focus will shift to junior and senior secondary schools, effectively locking out thousands of trained primary school teachers who had hoped to secure employment.
TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni said the transition from the 8-4-4 system and the restructuring of learning levels under the Competency-Based Education has significantly reduced demand for primary school teachers.
According to TSC, the collapse of Classes 7 and 8 from primary school, following the full rollout of the Competency-Based Education, has led to a sharp decline in teacher shortages at the primary level.
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The primary schools are currently experiencing a surplus of about 18,000 teachers.
Instead of recruiting primary school teachers, TSC now plans to employ 16,000 teachers for junior and senior secondary schools in the 2026/2027 financial year.
Acting TSC chief executive Eveleen Mitei said the recruitment is intended to address staffing gaps in the new education structure.
Similarly, Mitei said plans are in the pipeline to hire the 20,000 intern teachers currently serving under temporary contracts.
TSC is seeking Sh7.2 billion to convert the interns to permanent, pensionable terms, following protests by teachers over delays in confirmation.
The intern teachers, through the Kenya Junior School Teachers Association(KeJUSTA), had threatened to strike after the government announced plans to extend their internship contracts by an extra year.
The association argued that the teachers had initially been promised confirmation after serving for one year.
However, while appearing before the National Assembly committee on Education, TSC officials indicated that funding constraints had delayed their absorption.
To support its operations, TSC is seeking a total of Sh422 billion for the upcoming financial year.
The budget includes Sh1.9 billion for the recruitment of teachers in junior and senior schools, and Sh2 billion for the promotion of teachers in primary and secondary schools.
Another Sh1.5 billion for retooling teachers to handle new subjects under the reformed curriculum, and Sh8.4 billion for implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
hers remain jobless even as the government restructures learning under the new system.
At the same time, the Teachers service commission came under fire on Thursday over hiccups in the service delivery of medical services for teachers under the SHA medical scheme.
On Thursday, the TSC admitted that it is facing difficulty in offering medical services to teachers abroad.
The acting CEO said this has been occasioned by a legal hurdle barring SHA from entering into
She said that the commission will meet with the Social Health Authority team on Monday (February 23) to iron out pending issues.
However, National Assembly Education chairman Julius Melly, however noted that the hiccups have taken too long and need to be sorted.
The Tinderet member of parliament said the hiccups have seen teachers stranded abroad and others in hospitals locally.
Mitei revealed that an allocation of Sh16.5 billion has been provided for funding the teachers' medical cover, but this falls short of the funding needed.
According to Mitei, Sh26.5 billion is required for the medical scheme.
This means teachers are staring at a gap of Sh10 billion.
Melly has directed TSC to carry out negotiations with SHA to give a clear budget requirement for the budget that will be required to cater for teachers' medical cover.