A new draft amendment designed to harmonise the training and registration of teachers seeks to accommodate teachers with qualifications previously not recognised in the teaching profession.
If the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, becomes law, it will introduce a new framework with several fundamental changes designed to align with the competency-based education (CBE), including Montessori recognition, single-subject teachers and harmonised entry grades.
The realignment is set to unlock thousands of employment opportunities for teachers previously locked out by rigid administrative frameworks. The reforms, contained in the draft Bill, replace the outdated Legal Notice Number 50 of 2016. These are also the first amendments to the TSC Act (2012).
For the first time, TSC will register Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers trained under the Montessori curriculum. Previously dismissed as a foreign curriculum, it has now been formally recognised by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). The curriculum is mostly used by some high-end private pre-schools.
Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation at Bunge Tower Nairobi on July 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
Also, the current requirement to have two teaching subjects for secondary school teachers has been relaxed. Under the CBE, new subjects such as Double Mathematics or Double Music have created a demand for specialists in these areas.
Teachers with single-subject training, many of whom have been serving in private schools after failing to get registration by the TSC, can now be absorbed into the TSC register.
The draft Bill is part of the recommendations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, which Prof Rapahel Munavu chaired. The report was submitted to President William Ruto in 2023. It also seeks to iron out some conflicting roles between the TSC and the Ministry of Education.
“There were some conflicts in the admission requirements. The Ministry of Education had admission requirements that were not aligning to the education framework. For instance, in the Diploma in Secondary Education Ministry of Education required a mean grade of C plain in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. However, the TSC required one to have a C+,” said a source within the MoE.
The Ministry of Education headquarters Jogoo house Nairobi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The TSC has introduced registration for single subjects in the country. Initially, TSC did not recognise Early Childhood Education under the Montessori curriculum, which was a foreign curriculum.
However, afterwards, the PWPER, TSC and MoE officials met and aligned the requirements with those recommended by Prof Munavu’s task force.
In the harmonised entry grades, teachers training forthe Diploma in Primary Education has been set at a C (Plain) without subject clusters. However, for the Diploma in Secondary Education, the TSC has changed from a mandatory C+ aggregate to a C (Plain) aggregate, provided the teacher has a C+ in their two teaching subjects.
During a briefing with the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, TSC chairperson Dr Jamleck Muturi and Legal Director Mr Cavin Anyuor outlined how the Bill strengthens the commission's administrative reach.
ECDE learners and their teachers in Mandera.
Photo credit: File I Nation Media Group
“The amendments are meant to enhance professionalism and ensure that anybody who has done education in Kenya has a consistent route to registration,” said Mr Anyuor.
The Bill proposes the creation of the Institute of Teacher Support and Professional Development (ITSPD) to oversee mandatory continuous training.
Kenya has been shifting its education sector to align with the CBE, and harmonisation of teacher training and registration requirements with the Ministry of Education (MoE) is part of the process.
The move follows negotiations between TSC and MoE to resolve long-standing admission conflicts, such as the entry grade for Diploma in Secondary Education, which has now been adjusted to accommodate a broader pool of educators.
Furthermore, TSC will now have the power to decentralise functions through zonal offices, bringing services closer to the more than 400,000 teachers currently in service. However, during the meeting with members of the Education Committee, the MPs expressed concern over the cost of such a venture.
