The country’s unemployment crisis has erupted, with over 356,000 unemployed teachers applying for the 14,000 jobs advertised by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) last month.
The large number of applicants sets the stage for a tough recruitment process that will leave hundreds of thousands disappointed by their inability to secure employment.
This is despite the fact that there is a severe teacher shortage in public primary and secondary schools.
According to a TSC recruitment roadmap, the online application process closed on July 7, after which the candidates who were shortlisted would be published on the TSC website.
“However, some areas like in the Asal [arid and semi arid lands] zones might have fewer applicants,” a source said.
TSC plans to complete the selection process and handle complaints within the next two weeks, with successful candidates reporting to schools on September 1, 2022.
Post-primary teaching vacancies drew the most applicants, with 219,311 teachers expressing interest in the 4,000 new openings.
The commission received 136,833 applications for the 1,000 new primary school teacher positions that were advertised.
Shortlisted candidates will be recruited at the county level before being assigned to their schools.
TSC has also advertised 8,230 job openings to replace teachers who have left the service due to natural attrition.
The 327,882 applications received were for both primary schools (6,539) and post-primary institutions (1,691).
TSC used affirmative action to advertise for positions in Mandera, Garissa, and Wajir counties, which are severely understaffed.
Teachers from other regions have resisted deployment in the region in recent years due to insecurity, where non-locals are regularly attacked.
TSC intends to employ 1,230 teachers in the region on a permanent, pensionable, and contractual basis.
There are 21,194 applicants who have expressed interest in the jobs.
