TSC to Retrain Thousands as Ministry Directs Universities to Begin In-Service CBE Training for Senior School Teachers.
The Ministry of Education has directed all public universities to start in-service teacher education programmes immediately to prepare for the Competency-Based Education (CBE) at senior school level which will kick off in January 2026.
The directive was given by the Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Dr Beatrice Inyangala, during a conference for chairpersons of councils of public universities in Mombasa. Dr Inyangala said 154,200 secondary school teachers in the country do not have the required competencies to implement the three senior school pathways under the CBE framework. These pathways are:
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Social Sciences
- Arts and Sports
Dr Inyangala said, “You see our students will be transitioning to senior school in January, the teachers who will be teaching them are our products… these teachers do not have competencies in the three pathways. We have a very urgent assignment beginning July to start developing those levels so that we can actualise in-service for the teachers who will be teaching in senior schools.”
She further directed that the matter be included in the agenda of every university council meeting going forward, saying it’s urgent.
About 1.2 million junior school learners are expected to transition to senior school in January 2026. In line with this transition, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been allocated KES 600 million to train teachers on CBE and support the transition. This was confirmed by the Chairperson of the Education Committee of the National Assembly, Hon. Julius Melly who said the government is ready and on schedule.
Hon. Melly said, “We have time. Retooling and capacity building is part of teaching. Every other time teachers undergo several trainings on new skills, new methodology of teaching and new ways of handling their subjects. Teaching and learning is part of everyday life of a teacher so it’s not new.”
Grade 9 learners are currently selecting their preferred pathways and subject areas in preparation for the transition. To facilitate this process, the Ministry of Education has launched a month-long sensitisation exercise targeting stakeholders. The campaign aims to support learners and families in making informed pathway and subject choices.
The TSC has trained over 7,000 school heads. Since CBE was introduced 7 years ago, the Commission reports that 229,292 primary school teachers and 75,000 junior school teachers have undergone competency based training.
In April 2025, during a national conference in Mombasa, chief principals of national schools asked the Ministry of Education to hurry up with training for secondary school teachers. Dr Silas Mwirigi, Chief Principal of Kagumo High School said, “We are counting months. They need to be taken through the curriculum and the designs.”
Outgoing Teachers Service Commission CEO Dr Nancy Macharia confirmed that the Commission is working to ensure all teachers are ready to handle the first cohort of senior school learners by January 2026.
The pioneer cohort under the CBE system will sit for the first Kenya Junior School Education Assessment in November 2025. The Ministry of Education will use the assessment results, pathway choices, learner abilities and career preferences to place students in senior schools.
TSC to Retrain Thousands as Ministry Directs Universities to Begin In-Service CBE Training for Senior School Teachers.
