MPs want the government to provide a clear career progression framework for junior school teachers to avoid conflict with their counterparts in the primary section.
The lawmakers expressed concern that the two sets of teachers currently serve in the same compound with those from the primary section despite the high academic qualifications possessed by those teaching in junior schools.
The National Assembly committee on education is expected to engage with the ministry of education to provide a clear progression to the House of the teachers in the junior school section.
Nandi Woman Rep Cynthia Muge.
Photo credit: Photo I Pool
Nandi Woman Representative Cynthia Muge, in a request for statement currently under consideration by the committee, expressed concern that the current uncertainty on career progression for the junior school teachers may result in career stagnation, diminished motivation and limited professional growth among the teachers in not urgently addressed by the ministry.
According to the lawmaker, the placement of the junior school teachers within the primary school institutions without a clear guideline on career progression continues to limit the opportunities for their advancement.
In many of those institutions, junior school teachers, who are degree holders, serve under head teachers or administrators who, in some instances, only possess a diploma qualification.
This arrangement, according to the lawmakers, has created concerns regarding the recognition of the qualifications of junior school teachers, their professional experience and responsibilities within the institutional hierarchy.
“The ministry should provide clarification on the career progression pathways and guidelines for junior secondary school teachers, particularly for those serving under the jurisdiction of primary school sections,” Ms Muge said.
The junior school teachers are currently serving alongside teachers in the primary school section, notwithstanding the differences in their academic qualifications, professional training, teaching responsibilities and career expectations.
Nearly all junior school teachers hold university degrees and have been trained as subject specialists in secondary school teaching.
Through the committee, Ms Muge now wants the ministry to outline various steps taken to align the qualifications, professional experience and responsibilities of degree-holding junior school teachers within the career structures for administrators in primary schools that are hosting the junior secondary schools.
“The ministry should provide plans, if any, to review the schemes of service and qualification requirements for appointment as head teachers and deputy head teachers level for junior schools, specifying the extent of consideration of academic qualifications and seniority in appointments and promotions of JSS teachers,” Mr Muge said.
Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who is also the chairperson National Assembly Education Committee, on May 13, 2025 at Bunge Towers, Nairobi.
Photo credit: File | Nation
The Ministry of Education, through the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, will also provide to the House an indication on whether there are any plans to establish a distinct cadre or structure for junior secondary school administration and, if so, the extent of consultations made within the relevant unions and other stakeholders in developing the structure.
The Kenya Association of Junior School Teachers, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and more than 50,000 tutors are demanding administrative independence and recognition of junior school as its own tier in the education system.
The association argues that the current arrangement, which places the institutions under the primary school administrative structure, undermines the professional growth and career development of the Junior school teachers.
In a previous interview with Nation , Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Collins Oyuu dismissed the quest for autonomy by the junior school teachers, citing recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, which he said defined two sections within Basic Education as comprehensive schools, which include grades 1-9, with the senior schools having grades 10-12.
Educators have argued that granting junior school independence will not only ease administration but also strengthen the 2-6-3-3-3 Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) structure envisioned under the current education system.
The junior school teachers across the country have been vocal in their call for autonomy and have a separate administration from lower primary school structures.
The teachers have argued that autonomy would provide much-needed clarity in financial management, career progression, and administration.
They have also highlighted the lack of properly equipped laboratories, ambiguous career progression guidelines, and the uncertainty surrounding the confirmation of 20,000 junior school interns as pressing issues that must be resolved to avert an impending crisis.
