TSC Recruitment Guidelines for Primary School Teachers – 2025/2026

TSC Recruitment Guidelines for Primary School Teachers – 2025/2026.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced the recruitment of Primary School teachers for the 2024/2025 financial year. Regional Director, Nairobi, along with County and Sub-County Directors, must coordinate the recruitment process.

All applications should be submitted through the official online platform: www.teachersonline.go.ke. Applicants should select the County or Sub-County where vacancies are declared.

Every applicant must be a duly registered teacher in accordance with Section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012. Unregistered individuals will not be considered for employment.

Applicants were reminded by officials that they must meet all eligibility requirements and adhere to all procedural instructions. One official stated that, “No unregistered applicant will pass through the selection gate. The rules are clear.”

The selection process must be conducted with transparency and accountability as guided by the Public Officer Ethics Act and the TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (CoCE, 2015). TSC Regional Directors shall conduct induction sessions for County Directors, who will in turn induct the Selection Panel members. These inductions will cover relevant sections of the TSC Act and the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT, 2015).

Venues for interviews must be accessible to applicants with disabilities, and TSC Sub-County Directors must coordinate this with their County Directors and, in the case of Nairobi, the Regional Director. One TSC official emphasized, “No applicant should be disadvantaged by venue inaccessibility. It’s our responsibility to accommodate all.”

Documentation and Verification Process

Once the Applicants’ Lists are generated, County Directors must forward them to Sub-County Directors. The Sub-County Directors will then organize Selection Panels, decide on interview logistics, and inform applicants of the interview dates, venues, and times. This information must be communicated via SMS at least seven days prior to the document verification exercise.

During the verification exercise, which is to be held at Sub-County level, each applicant will receive a serial number. The verification process will be overseen by the TSC Sub-County Selection Panel, under the direction of the TSC Sub-County Director.

Only those applicants whose documents are verified will be placed on the Merit List compiled by the TSC Sub-County Director. This Merit List will form the basis for interview consideration.

Required Documentation

Applicants must bring both original and legible photocopies of the following:

• National ID card
• Teacher Registration Certificate
• Upgrade Diploma in Primary Teacher Education or UDPTE Certificate (if applicable)
• PTE Certificate
• KCPE and KCSE certificates (and those for all exam attempts if re-sat)
• KNEC result certification letters (where applicable)
• Primary and Secondary School Leaving Certificates and testimonials
• NCPWD Card (if applicable)
• A sworn Affidavit (for name discrepancies)

Serving interns are only required to produce their ID cards during verification.

Those who re-sat national examinations must present certified copies of certificates for each attempt. If any exam was cancelled, they must submit an official school letter and a certified KNEC printout confirming the cancellation.

Name discrepancies in official documents must be clarified with a sworn affidavit under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya.

Consideration Criteria and Preferences

Applicants with disabilities are required to indicate their disability type to support proper job placement. In cases where applicants tie in ranking, the following will be used as tiebreakers:

1. Duration since graduation
2. Academic and professional qualification strength

If candidates have equal points in their PTE/DPTE Upgrade Certificates or equivalent, their KCSE aggregate grades will be used to determine selection.

Preference will be given to applicants who have not been employed previously by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms. Additionally, priority will be granted to applicants residing in the respective Sub-Counties or Counties.

Every applicant will be evaluated to ensure they meet the criteria as stated in the TSC advertisement. Any employment application or job offer made using false or misleading information will be revoked without further notice. Officials warned that the Commission has a zero-tolerance policy for dishonest applications.

SUB-COUNTY SELECTION PANELS

Composition of the Panel

Each Sub-County will establish a Selection Panel comprising three key officials:

• The Sub-County Director will serve as the Chairperson.
• The Human Resource Officer from the TSC Sub-County office will act as the Secretary.
• A Curriculum Support Officer will participate as a Member.

Total Members: 3

VERIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION OF CREDENTIALS

The verification process for academic, professional, and related documents is outlined as follows:

• The TSC Sub-County Director will first confirm each applicant’s TSC registration status and compile a complete list of candidates for the panel.
• All applicants are required to present themselves in person before the panel on the designated dates.
• The panel will scrutinize original academic and professional certificates to confirm their authenticity.
• Certified copies of these documents, including any relevant paperwork, must be endorsed by the Sub-County Director before being forwarded to the County Director.
• Any individual who submits falsified or forged documents will be disqualified from the process and deregistered from the system, as this constitutes an offence.

A panel member was overheard stating that the exercise must remain “thorough and fair” to ensure that only qualified individuals proceed.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Candidates will be awarded scores in accordance with the provided score sheets found in Appendix 1(a) and 1(b).
• If candidates tie in scores, the panel will resolve this using the guidelines specified in Clause 1.17.
• After the verification process, the Sub-County Selection Panel is responsible for:
  • Preparing a Sub-County Merit List.
  • Submitting the list to the TSC County Directors, who will then compile County Merit Lists for verification at the national headquarters.

Note: Applicants who are deaf or have speech disabilities will be permitted to use the services of a sign language interpreter.

SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS TO COUNTY DIRECTOR

The TSC Sub-County Director must submit the following to the County Director:

• A full list of applicants who presented documents for verification (Appendix II);
• The Sub-County Merit List (Appendix III);
• Any complaints raised and the action taken;
• Signed minutes of the panel proceedings by both the Chairperson and Secretary, clearly outlining the agreed list of successful candidates.

Subsequently, the County Director is expected to compile and forward the County Merit List to the TSC Headquarters within the stipulated deadline for central verification.

Oversight for the entire recruitment process within each region rests with the TSC Regional Director. The TSC County Director is tasked with ensuring transparency, fairness, and completeness of documentation, as per the approved checklist, prior to submission to the Headquarters.

HANDLING OF COMPLAINTS

• Dissatisfied applicants must submit written complaints to the County Director immediately and email the Headquarters via dirstaffing@tsc.go.ke within seven (7) days after the selection.
• The County Director must review and resolve the complaints within a week, then submit a report detailing actions taken to the Headquarters.
• If an applicant remains unsatisfied with the County Director’s decision, or the complaint involves the County Director, they can escalate the matter to the Appeals Committee on staffing functions at TSC Headquarters. This committee will conduct investigations and decide on the appropriate course of action within fourteen (14) days.

A senior TSC officer affirmed, “Applicants have a right to appeal and must be heard without prejudice.”

SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS TO TSC HEADQUARTERS

The County Director is required to forward the following to the Headquarters:

Panel and Selection Documentation

• Signed minutes from the Sub-County Panel, verified by the County Director;
• County Merit Lists (Appendix IV);
• The final list of selected applicants from the Sub-County/County merit lists (Appendix V);
• A list of invited candidates who failed to appear (Appendix VI);
• A list of applicants living with disabilities (Appendix VII);
• Duly signed Employment Offer Letters;
• Original statements of exam results from KNEC (for applicants lacking original certificates);
• Medical Examination Form GP 69 (original copy).

Certified Applicant Documents

The following certified documents must be submitted in this specific order:

1. National ID card;
2. Certificate of Registration as a teacher;
3. PTE/DPTE Upgrade Certificate;
4. KCSE Certificate or its equivalent (include all attempts if resat);
5. KCPE Certificate or its equivalent (include all attempts if resat);
6. Result certification letter from KNEC, if applicable;
7. Primary and Secondary School leaving certificates plus other supporting testimonials;
8. NCPWD Card, if applicable;
9. Sworn affidavit under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act (Cap 15) to explain name discrepancies;
10. KRA PIN Certificate, Bank Form, and front-facing image of Bank Plate/Card to process payroll;
11. Panel score sheet (Appendix I) in both soft format (Excel) to ddstaffingp@tsc.go.ke and hard copy for selected applicants.

Public Access and Data Protection

The Merit Lists shall be accessible to any member of the public who wishes to view them. However, this access must be granted in a manner that upholds the integrity of the recruitment process and complies fully with the Data Protection Act, 2019.

Points of Contact for Enquiries

All queries related to the recruitment guidelines should be directed to the respective County Directors of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), who are designated to handle such matters.

Recruitment Oversight by the TSC Headquarters

Despite the recruitment function being decentralized under Section 20 of the TSC Act, the Teachers Service Commission retains the authority to conduct teacher recruitment directly from its headquarters when necessary.

An officer at the headquarters explained that central recruitment may be activated in exceptional cases where uniformity or urgency is required across the country.

Duties of TSC Regional Directors

Regional Directors play a crucial role in the recruitment process and are expected to carry out several responsibilities within their regions. These include:

• Ensuring full adherence to the recruitment guidelines;
• Coordinating all teacher recruitment activities in their respective regions;
• Leading sensitization efforts for County Directors and ensuring that other involved officers, including Selection Panel members, are also adequately sensitized;
• Implementing measures to address and resolve any complaints that may arise from the recruitment process.

One Regional Director noted that their top priority was ensuring transparency, adding that no irregularities would be tolerated under their watch.

TSC Recruitment Guidelines for Primary School Teachers – 2025/2026.