TSC Guidelines for Recruitment of Permanent and Pensionable Teachers in Primary Schools
1.0 General Information
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued detailed guidelines for the recruitment of primary school teachers in the 2023–2024 financial year.
These guidelines are essential to ensuring a transparent and accountable selection process. Key highlights from the guidelines include:
i) Selection Exercise: Regional Directors in Nairobi, County Directors, and Sub-County Directors have the responsibility to conduct a meticulous selection exercise for aspiring teacher applicants.
They must submit Merit Lists to the TSC Headquarters, and the Regional Selection Panel for Nairobi and the County Selection Panel for other counties should ratify these lists.
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ii) Application Process: Applicants must submit their applications via the online platform at www.teachersonline.go.ke for the county where there is a vacancy.
The application process involves scanning and uploading copies of professional and academic certificates, along with any other relevant documents.
iii) The selection panel must uphold the highest levels of transparency and accountability in accordance with the Public Officer Ethics Act and the TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (CoCE, 2015).
iv) TSC Regional Directors have the responsibility of inducting TSC County Directors within their respective jurisdictions.
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This induction includes a focus on relevant sections of the Act and the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT, 2015) before the commencement of the selection exercise.
v) COVID-19 Protocol: It is mandatory that the TSC County Director ensures that the recruitment process strictly adheres to the Ministry of Health protocols for containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
vi) Accessibility: TSC Sub-County Directors, in collaboration with their respective TSC County Directors, must ensure that selection venues are accessible to applicants with disabilities.
vii) Registration Requirement: All applicants must be registered teachers as per Section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012. Any applicant who is not duly registered will not be considered for recruitment.
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viii) Name Discrepancies: Applicants whose names differ on their academic and professional certificates and/or identification cards must present an Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya, to explain the variance in names.
ix) Exam Resits: Applicants who re-sat either the KCPE or KCSE examinations (or their equivalents) must provide certified copies of the certificate(s) of the national examination(s) for all attempts.
These copies must be certified by the Sub-County Directors. In cases where the exam was canceled, applicants must present a letter from the Head of Institution along with a certified copy of the KNEC printout from the school confirming the cancellation.
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x) Generation of Applicants’ Lists: Upon generating Applicants’ Lists, the TSC County Director will share these lists with TSC Sub-County Directors.
Sub-County Directors will then convene Sub-County Selection Panels, which will identify interview venues, dates, and times.
xi) TSC Headquarters will receive and verify this information for publication.
xii) The TSC Sub-County Selection Panel, under the guidance of the TSC Sub-County Director, will conduct the verification exercise at the Sub-County level. They will invite all applicants for document verification.
TSC will publish Details regarding the interview venue, date, and time on the TSC Website at least seven (7) days before the interview date.
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Following the verification exercise, the TSC Sub-County Director will compile a Merit List of all applicants whose documents have been verified.
The Merit Lists will apply to teacher recruitment within the financial year and any subsequent recruitment.
xiii) During the selection process, the selection panel will assign a unique serial number to each applicant.
It is mandatory for teachers to provide original and legible photocopies of the following documents, among other relevant items:
a) National ID card;
b) Certificate of Registration as a Teacher;
c) Evidence of the completion of the Upgrade Diploma in Primary Teacher Education, where applicable.
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d) PTE Certificate;
e) KCSE certificates or its equivalent (including certificates for any exam retakes);
f) KCPE certificates or its equivalent (including certificates for any exam retakes);
g) Letter of Certification of Results by KNEC (where applicable);
h) Primary and Secondary School leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials;
i) National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);
j) An Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap. 15 of the Laws of Kenya, to explain any difference in names.
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xiv) Treating Applicants Equally: The selection panel will treat all applicants equally, irrespective of their gender, disability, ethnicity, or Home County. They will receive the same opportunities.
xv) Disclosing Disability: Applicants with disabilities must disclose their disability status and provide details about the nature of their disabilities. This information will guide the placement process.
xvi) Teacher interns currently in service will automatically receive permanent and pensionable positions, eliminating the need for them to submit new applications.
xvii) In compliance with constitutional and legal requirements, TSC County Directors must reserve 5% of all advertised positions for recruiting teachers with disabilities.
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xviii) Tie-Breaker: In the event of a tie in the ranking, the following selection criteria will apply:
a) Length of time since graduation; b) Strength of academic and professional certificates presented.
N/B: If applicants tie at PTE/DPTE Upgrade Certificate points, aggregate KCSE grades, or their equivalent, will determine the better candidate.
xix) Applicant Vetting: The selection panel will conduct thorough vetting of each applicant to ascertain if they meet the requirements specified in the TSC advertisement during the selection exercise.
xx) Preference: Applicants who have never worked for the Teachers Service Commission before will receive preference.
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xxi) Local applicants: TSC will give extra preference to applicants who come from the respective Sub-counties or counties.
xxii) False information: If TSC finds that any Application for Employment form contains misleading information or if an Offer of Employment is based on such information, TSC will immediately cancel it without any further communication with the applicant.
xxiii) Merit list usage: The Merit Lists in this recruitment process will also serve as the basis for replacing teachers in the same financial year or as directed by the Commission in the future.
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TSC Guidelines for Recruitment of Permanent and Pensionable Teachers in Primary Schools
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TSC Guidelines for Recruitment of Permanent and Pensionable Teachers in Primary Schools
