By  Education Policy Columnist

Kenya’s new education landscape has sparked intense confusion over who is qualified to teach where. As Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) opened under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges expanded, thousands of educators found themselves asking: does my training allow me to stand in this classroom? The uncertainty is not idle; it stems from Kenya’s dual system of teacher regulation. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the TVET Authority (TVETA) each hold legal mandates over different institutions, leaving many teachers and trainers unsure which rules apply. In one striking case, This column breaks down which subject combinations, qualifications, and pathways enable a person to obtain a TSC number or a TVETA registration number, and how these credentials determine eligibility to teach in JSS, Senior Secondary Schools, and TVET institutions.

Dual Regulators, Divergent Mandates

Kenya ended up with two parallel teacher regulators through both historical design and recent reforms. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is a constitutional body mandated to register and employ teachers for basic education  generally meaning primary and secondary schools. By law, “no person shall engage in the teaching service unless such person is registered as a teacher” under the TSC Act. In practice this has meant that any teacher in a public or private school (from early childhood through secondary) is required to hold a TSC number, ensuring they meet TSC’s academic and professional standards.

On the other hand, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) was created by the TVET Act of 2013 to regulate post-secondary vocational institutions. Section 23 of the TVET Act, 2013 requires that all TVET trainers be registered and licensed by the TVETA Board. TVETA accredits training programs and institutions, and maintains a register of approved trainers, assessors, and verifiers. Essentially, TSC oversees teachers in the school system, while TVETA oversees trainers in technical colleges, polytechnics, and vocational training centers.

This division did not always exist so starkly. Until a few years ago, many technical institute lecturers were employed by TSC just like secondary school teachers. In 2018, however, the government initiated a major policy shift: over 4,000 tutors in public TVET institutions were transferred from TSC to the Public Service Commission (PSC) in a new scheme. A TSC circular in 2018 moved technical training functions to the Ministry of Education, aiming to give TVET instructors a separate scheme of service more tailored to industry-focused training. The change was driven by complaints that “TTI lecturers were put together with secondary and primary school teachers”, hindering their promotions and professional growth. Under the new arrangement, Boards of Governors of each college (with oversight from PSC and TVETA) can hire trainers based on technical expertise – even industry practitioners – with more flexible criteria.

However, this transition also exposed a legal grey area. The TSC’s constitutional status as “the sole employer of all teachers” in public education raised questions about whether transferring TVET tutors violated the law. As KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori noted at the time, any “efforts for a different employer will require repeal of the constitution” that entrenches TSC’s role. In reality, the government proceeded by redefining TVET tutors not as “teachers” in basic education, thus sidestepping TSC. The result today is a dual system: to teach in a school, you need TSC registration; to teach in a TVET college, you need TVETA registration. Each path has its own required subject qualifications and credentials, as explored below.

Who Is Qualified to Teach Junior Secondary (JSS)?

When the CBC rolled out its junior secondary component (Grades 7, 8, 9), Kenya suddenly needed a new cadre of teachers specially qualified to handle young adolescents and a broad curriculum. Junior Secondary School is considered part of secondary education under CBC (often housed in existing primary schools, but following a secondary-style syllabus). The Teachers Service Commission set strict criteria for JSS teachers, closely mirroring those for traditional secondary teachers:

• Academic Qualifications: A minimum mean grade of C+ at KCSE, with at least C+ in each of two teaching subjects relevant to the curriculum. For example, one might specialize in Mathematics and Integrated Science, or English and Kiswahili, etc. Subject combinations are crucial – the CBC JSS curriculum includes areas like Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Integrated Science, Social Studies, Business Studies, Religious Education, Agriculture, Life Skills, and Pre-Technical Education. A JSS teacher is expected to handle at least two subjects effectively, so a strong background in two teachable subjects is mandatory.
• Professional Qualifications: At least a Diploma in Education (Secondary option), or a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Bachelor of Education (Primary Option) holders are not eligible for JSS, since their training is considered too generalist for subject-specific teaching. The ideal qualification is a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) degree with two teaching subjects, or alternatively a Bachelor’s degree in a content area plus a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in two teaching subjects. In all cases, the teacher must have studied at least 8 units of each subject at university level to be deemed sufficiently knowledgeable in that subject. This ensures, for instance, that a graduate teaching science at JSS has a solid grounding in biology, chemistry, or physics beyond just surface level.
• TSC Registration: The person must be registered as a teacher with TSC, meaning they have met all the above criteria and ethical standards. Without a TSC number, one cannot legally be deployed to teach JSS, even on an interim basis.
• CBC Training: Additionally, JSS teachers are required to have undergone the CBC orientation training that TSC and the Ministry provide. This ensures they are familiar with the new competency-based approaches and assessment styles, which differ significantly from the old 8-4-4 system’s methods.

Notably, the sudden demand for JSS instructors in 2023 led to a severe shortage. TSC found itself with too few qualified secondary-trained teachers to cover all JSS classes. In response, it lowered some requirements and began deploying experienced primary school teachers (P1) who had upgraded their qualifications. For a P1 certificate holder to teach JSS, they had to meet stringent conditions: a C+ KCSE with C+ in two key subjects, plus a Diploma (or Higher Diploma) in Education on top of their P1 certificate. In other words, only primary teachers who had pursued further training (such as a Diploma in Secondary Education) and attained the requisite grades were considered. Even then, TSC made exceptions to tap more personnel – for instance, teachers who initially only had a C plain in KCSE but later did bridging courses to qualify for university were deemed eligible for JSS. These stop-gap measures underscore how CBC’s rollout reshaped teacher demand: suddenly, having the right subject combination and training was more important than ever. A teacher with a Bachelor’s in Primary Education or a single-subject degree might find themselves locked out of JSS, whereas a diploma teacher with dual subjects could be welcomed in to fill the gap.

Why do subject combinations matter so much at JSS? Under CBC, JSS students take a broad range of subjects (13 core subjects), but schools may not assign one teacher per subject as is done in senior secondary. Teachers might teach across a couple of related subjects. A solid combination (like Mathematics/Physics or English/Literature) ensures the teacher can cover an entire learning area comprehensively. It also aligns with TSC’s long-standing practice in secondary schools of approving only specific subject combinations for employment, such as Mathematics & Physics, English & Literature, Kiswahili & History, among others. If an aspiring teacher’s training doesn’t fall into an approved combination, TSC will not hire (or register) them for secondary-level teaching. This rule has now been extended to JSS. For example, an individual with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science (not a school subject) and no PGDE would not qualify to teach JSS, whereas someone with a B.Ed in Biology/Chemistry would. The clear message: only those with the right mix of subjects and pedagogy get the TSC number – and with it, the keys to a JSS classroom.

Who Is Qualified to Teach Senior Secondary?

Senior Secondary School (Grades 10–12 in the new CBC structure, equivalent to the former Form 1–4) largely continues the tradition of subject-specific teaching that existed under 8-4-4 secondary education. Here, specialization is even more pronounced: students choose pathways (STEM, Arts & Sports, or Social Sciences) with specific subject groupings, and teachers must be masters of their disciplines. The qualifications and pathways to teach at senior secondary are therefore similar to those for traditional secondary teachers, with an even stronger emphasis on subject expertise.

Baseline Academic Requirements (TSC): To teach any senior secondary subject, one must have scored at least a C+ (Plus) in KCSE and a C+ in each of the two teaching subjects they wish to offer. This rule ensures that teachers have a strong foundational knowledge in the subjects they will teach, dating back to their own secondary education. It’s a high bar that, for instance, excludes someone who scored poorly in Mathematics from later teaching Mathematics to students.

Training Pathways: The ideal qualification is a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree in the relevant specialization (Science, Arts, etc.) with two teaching subjects. For example, a B.Ed (Science) with Chemistry and Biology or a B.Ed (Arts) with History and CRE (Christian Religious Education) is a classic senior secondary teacher profile. TSC also accepts equivalent pathways, such as a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in a content area plus a PGDE (Postgraduate Diploma in Education). This allows, say, a person with a B.Sc. in Physics to become a physics/maths teacher after taking a PGDE to learn pedagogy and possibly adding Mathematics as a second teaching subject. Another recognized route is specialized degrees like B.Sc. in Agricultural Education and Extension, which already combine content and pedagogy for subjects like Agriculture.

Diploma qualifications were historically common for secondary teachers (Diploma in Education holders who taught in lower secondary forms). Today, TSC still recognizes Diploma teachers for secondary schools – the minimum training is a Diploma in Education (with C+ entry grades) – although in practice degree holders have an edge in hiring. The subject combination principle is non-negotiable: a diploma or degree teacher must have two teachable subjects. TSC regularly publishes a list of approved subject combinations for secondary schools, covering Sciences, Languages, Mathematics, Humanities, and Technical subjects. These include combinations like:

• Sciences: Chemistry & Biology; Physics & Chemistry; Biology & Agriculture
• Languages: English & Literature; Kiswahili & History; French & Geography
• Mathematics: Math & Physics; Math & Business Studies; Math & Computer Studies
• Humanities: History & CRE; Geography & CRE; Geography & Business Studies
• Technicals/Vocationals: Woodwork & Physics; Electricity & Mathematics; Art & Design & History.

If a teacher’s academic background doesn’t fit one of these pairings, they may find themselves “untrained” in the eyes of TSC for senior school. For instance, a person with a singular B.A. in Economics (without a second subject like Business or Maths and without a PGDE) would not match any approved combination and would be ineligible for TSC recruitment in secondary schools.

In short, a TSC number is effectively your license to teach in any Kenyan secondary school, and getting that number requires meeting the academic and professional criteria above.

New Subjects, New Demands: The CBC-era Senior Secondary curriculum has introduced or elevated subjects that were previously niche, such as Performing Arts (Music, Fine Art, Theatre & Film), Sports Science, Foreign Languages like Mandarin, and applied sciences. This has reshaped demand for teachers. Schools are now looking for educators with backgrounds in areas like Music & Dance or Fine Arts – combinations that were rare under 8-4-4. Universities and colleges may need to adjust by training more teachers in these areas, or by retraining existing teachers. It’s a delicate balance: for example, a high school might want to offer the Sports & Recreation subject, but a teacher with a Physical Education diploma alone might not qualify unless they also have another subject and a TSC registration. Thus, while CBC has widened the array of subjects, the essential requirement remains: a senior secondary teacher must be both highly knowledgeable in their subjects and properly trained as a teacher.

Who Is Qualified to Teach in TVET Institutions?

Teaching or training in a TVET institution (such as a technical training institute, national polytechnic, vocational training center, or technical college) follows a different track altogether, governed by TVETA. Rather than a TSC Number, a TVET trainer must obtain a TVETA Trainer Registration and License. This comes with its own set of qualification requirements, which blend technical competency with pedagogical training:

• Technical Qualifications: A TVET trainer is first and foremost expected to have expertise in the trade or subject they will teach. The minimum required qualification is “at least a Craft Certificate” in a relevant field. In practice, many have higher qualifications – Diploma, Higher National Diploma, or even Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in their technical area. The key difference from the secondary school path is that TVETA recognizes technical and professional certifications (like those from KNEC, KASNEB, NITA, or CDACC) as a basis for teaching a skill. For example, a person with a Craft Certificate in Plumbing or a Diploma in Automotive Engineering can be licensed to train students in those trades, even if they did not attend a traditional university. This opens the door for skilled tradespeople to become instructors, whereas TSC would never hire someone without a university degree for secondary academics.
• Pedagogical Qualifications: Contrary to the myth that “TVET trainers don’t need pedagogy,” pedagogical training is explicitly required. TVETA’s guidelines mandate documentary proof of pedagogical training such as a Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Technology Education, B.Sc. in Agricultural Education and Extension, B.Sc. in Nursing (for health training), Postgraduate Diploma in Education, OR a Diploma in Technical Teacher Education (instructor training). In other words, a TVET trainer must have gone through some form of teacher training course. This could be as extensive as a B.Ed. or as specific as the Instructor Training offered at the Kenya School of TVET (formerly Kenya Technical Trainers College). The emphasis is on ensuring that trainers not only know what to teach, but also how to teach effectively. The TVET sector has embraced Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET), which requires learner-centered, hands-on instructional approaches. Thus, TVETA insists on pedagogical skills so that instructors can “practically and effectively adopt contextualized training methods” suited to vocational learners.
• Trainer Licensing Exam/Vetting: Trainers apply through the TVETA online portal and submit their credentials for vetting. Once approved, they are issued a Trainer’s License, valid for three years. This license must be renewed with proof of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to ensure trainers keep up with industry trends and educational innovations. The oversight is strict: employing unlicensed trainers is an offense under the TVET Act, punishable by fines or imprisonment – a parallel to TSC’s enforcement in schools.

What about academic grades? Notably, TVETA’s requirements do not include a specific KCSE grade threshold. This is a deliberate departure from TSC’s C+ rule. It means a talented craftsperson who perhaps scored a C- in high school but later obtained a diploma and instructor training can become a TVET trainer. Indeed, a major reason for carving TVET out of TSC was that TSC’s rigid criteria had “locked out” otherwise qualified trainers – for example, “a trainer who scored C- in KCSE and enrolled in TVET for a higher diploma could not be in the TSC payroll” under the old system. Now that such a trainer falls under TVETA/PSC, their highest technical qualifications matter more than their high school grades. This flexibility benefits the TVET sector by valuing practical expertise and industry experience.

So to teach in a TVET institution, one needs the right technical skill certification plus a dose of teacher training. For example, an engineer with a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering who wants to lecture in a polytechnic must still present either a PGDE or a Diploma in Technical Education to get licensed. Conversely, a seasoned carpenter with a Craft Certificate and a KSTVET instructor diploma can also become a registered trainer. But an expert welder with no pedagogical training at all would be required to undergo instructor training before being let loose in a classroom. The law and policy now make it clear that TVET trainers are professionals on par with teachers, expected to understand pedagogy and continuously improve their skills.

Myths and Misinformation: Separating Fact from Fiction

The overlap of two regulatory systems has bred several myths that circulate among teachers and the public. Let’s tackle the most common misconceptions head-on:

• Myth 2: “A TSC number allows a teacher to teach anywhere, including TVET institutions.”
  Reality: Not exactly. A TSC number authorizes one to teach in basic education institutions (primary, secondary, and related), but it is not a blanket license for all educational institutions. If a TSC-registered teacher wants to work in a public TVET college, they would still need to register as a trainer with TVETA to comply with the TVET Act. In fact, many TSC teachers were compelled to switch to TVETA/PSC contracts in 2018 when the roles were separated. Conversely, a person with a TVETA license (but no TSC number) cannot walk into a secondary school and start teaching – they would be deemed an unregistered teacher by TSC’s standards and removed. The two credentials are not automatically interchangeable. That said, the skill sets can overlap. For example, a TSC-registered mathematics teacher likely meets the academic and pedagogy criteria to be a TVET trainer in a technician course (and could seek TVETA licensing), while a licensed welding instructor with an instructor’s diploma could, by pursuing a degree and meeting grade requirements, get a TSC number to teach, say, metalwork in a secondary school. But one must go through the proper process – neither regulator recognizes the other’s license as a substitute.
• Myth 3: “Any university degree holder can teach Junior Secondary.”
  Reality: No having a degree is not sufficient. The degree must be in a relevant teaching subject(s) and be coupled with pedagogical training. A lawyer with an LL.B or an engineer with a B.Eng, for instance, cannot automatically teach JSS, because those degrees don’t map onto the JSS curriculum and they lack the educational pedagogy component. TSC requires JSS and secondary school teachers to have specialized in two school subjects during their training. Someone with a B.A. in Sociology and no PGDE would fail that test. Even a B.Ed (Primary) degree doesn’t qualify one for JSS, since it doesn’t include two secondary-level subjects. The typical JSS teacher needs a degree in Education with say, English and Kiswahili, or Math and Physics, etc., or a science/arts degree plus a PGDE in the needed subjects. In short, Kenya doesn’t allow “general degree” holders to waltz into classrooms without the right subject mix and a teaching credential. The scramble for JSS teachers even with shortages reaffirmed this: TSC chose to deploy properly trained diploma teachers and accepted some with bridging courses, rather than dilute the core requirement of two teaching subjects and training. “Any degree” is simply not enough.

Policy Tensions and Career Mobility

Beneath these rules lies a deeper policy tension: the divide between academically-trained teachers and technically-trained instructors. Kenya’s education reforms have inadvertently created two professional classes with distinct pathways, each feeling pride in their domain but limited in mobility across the divide.

From the perspective of many university-trained teachers, the TSC path is the gold standard – they endured high academic cut-off scores and rigorous education programs to earn their TSC number. They often view the TVET trainer route as less stringent, since it allows lower KCSE grades and hires people straight from industry. There’s a hint of truth here: TVET institutions can recruit “practicing tradespersons” as trainers on recommendation of institutional boards, something unheard of in secondary schools. This flexibility is by design – a master craftswoman with 20 years of tailoring experience, for example, could greatly enrich a fashion and design course even if she lacks a university degree, as long as she adds some pedagogy. TSC’s system could never accommodate such a person due to formal paper qualifications. The trade-off has been a policy balancing act: how to value practical expertise without compromising teaching quality. The answer has been to professionalize trainers through pedagogical upskilling rather than insist on traditional degrees.

From the other side, technically-trained instructors often felt marginalized when under TSC. Their career progression stagnated because TSC didn’t fully recognize higher diplomas or industry experience for promotions. This led to frustration and calls for a separate scheme. The 2018 transfer to PSC aimed to address that by giving TVET trainers a bespoke scheme of service with different grading and promotion criteria. Early indications showed new salary scales where, for instance, a diploma-holder would start at a certain civil service job group with room to grow. Yet, bureaucratic hiccups left many in limbo, unsure of who their employer was and without new promotions for years. The episode highlighted that legislative reform had outpaced implementation. Two ministries (Education and Public Service) tussled over the trainers, and even donors were involved at one point. Ultimately, the principle has been established that teaching in TVET is not the same as teaching in secondary school, and it requires its own HR and regulatory approach. But real people – the trainers – experienced whiplash in the process.

Can a teacher move between the two systems? In theory, yes, but it often means retooling one’s qualifications. For a TSC teacher to move to TVET, it might be simpler: they likely have the pedagogy and a strong academic base, so if they also hold or acquire a technical specialization (say a computer science teacher wanting to teach ICT at a polytechnic), they can seek TVETA licensing. Indeed, many former secondary teachers have transitioned to TVET colleges especially in business, ICT, or applied science courses, where their degree subject is applicable. They must resign or retire from TSC and then join the TVET institution (either as a direct hire by a college Board or under PSC contract), essentially swapping the TSC number for a TVETA license.

For a TVET trainer to become a secondary school teacher, the hurdle is higher. They must satisfy TSC’s entry bar: if they only had a diploma and lower KCSE grade, they’d need to attain a degree and requisite KCSE scores (bridging courses or fresh exams) to register with TSC. Some may choose to do this for example, a diploma science trainer might enroll in a Bachelor of Education program to broaden opportunities. Professional mobility is not seamless; it requires additional education and meeting whichever regulator’s standards are stricter. Kenya has yet to develop a clear framework for crediting the experience of a TVET trainer who wants to transition to teaching, or vice versa. As it stands, one essentially starts over in qualifying for the other sector.

There are also emerging overlaps to watch. The new Senior Secondary “STEM” pathway could conceivably benefit from TVET expertise – for instance, courses in robotics or engineering might invite collaboration with technical institutes. Conversely, some TVET programs (like diploma in entrepreneurship) might find seasoned high school Business Studies teachers well-suited to teach. Policymakers have floated ideas like allowing educators to hold both licenses, or creating bridging courses to certify teachers as trainers and trainers as teachers. For now, however, the pathways remain parallel – intersecting rarely, and only through deliberate effort by the individual educator to traverse from one to the other.