The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on Tuesday announced new guidelines for recruiting teachers in the country.
This year’s recruitment will see 11, 474 fresh graduates and retired teachers fill vacancies and replace those who have exited the profession in both primary and secondary public schools.
The race to fill the gap and balance the teacher-to-student ratio in public schools in the country will be taking course in the next two weeks as the teachers’ employer seeks to recruit 5000 graduates.
An additional 6, 474 tutors will also be employed to replace teachers that for various reasons have quit the profession.
But it’s the peculiar challenge of the teacher exodus from the North Eastern counties of Wajir, Mandera and Garissa witnessed in the recent years that provides for a new formula in the recruitment process.
And now, to fill, the gap in the region that is considered marginalised, teachers who have retired have been asked to apply for fresh contracts.
In addition, and unlike other regions in the country, recruitment of teachers in the three counties will remain open for the rest of the year.
Early this year and late last year, at least some 2,000 non-local teachers working in Wajir, Garissa and Mandera counties were withdrawn by the commission over a series of attacks targeting non-local teachers.
At the time, TSC said 32 teachers had been killed by suspected Al Shabaab militants within a period of five years.
In the new guidelines, those intending to land the jobs are required to submit their applications to the secretary of the commission through the TSC online platform for the county where a vacancy has been declared.
The applicants must be registered teachers as per section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act of 2012.
The commission said alrl applicants irrespective of gender, disability, ethnicity or home county will be given equal opportunity.
However, in case of a tie, consideration will be given on various aspects in their order of priority, key among them; applicants living with disabilities, service as a teacher intern, applicants who had not previously been employed by the commission as well as attainment of highest grade in teaching practice.