KISUMU, Kenya, October 11th -Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers in Kisumu County are now demanding full autonomy from primary schools.
The group led by Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Kisumu Executive Secretary Zablon Awange, said that the current arrangement has exposed them to mistreatment, intimidation, and poor working conditions under primary school heads.
“The integration of JSS into primary schools, has fueled hostility, with some supervisors perceiving them as rivals rather than colleagues,” says Awange.
JSS teachers have in the past petitioned the Government and the National Assembly to enact legislation granting JSS independent boards, administration, and governance frameworks, but to no avail.
He reiterated that in Kisumu, such autonomy is critical to safeguarding their careers, restoring their professional dignity, and securing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Awange further noted that the merger of pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary under one administration undermines the 2-6-3-3-3 design, which was built on the principle that each stage of learning should stand on its own.
The official warned that JSS teachers are prepared to strike or move to court if their concerns are ignored, saying the toxic environment not only threatens their profession but also risks derailing CBC implementation.
Among their demands, Awange said, are the ring-fencing of resources allocated to JSS, and urgent construction and equipping of specialised facilities such as laboratories and ICT hubs to improve learning outcomes.
He said the JSS Kisumu chapter calls for independence from all levels.
According to Awange, JSS teachers should be divorced from HOIs, adding that capitation, staffing, and other issues must be addressed.
He said staffing of JSS should be done from the senior secondary levels, and that they must secure curricular autonomy in areas such as sports and drama.
“We must get positions such as chairman, vice chairman and not organising secretary alone. The JSS teachers will not mark examinations if autonomy is not granted to them,” they concluded.
