The call for autonomy in the management of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) is rapidly gaining traction across Kenya, with teachers from several counties demanding reforms to strengthen the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Educators argue that granting JSS independence would not only ease administration but also ensure proper implementation of the 2-6-3-3-3 structure.
What began as isolated concerns has now evolved into a nationwide movement. In Bungoma County, JSS teachers have threatened to boycott classes next year if their grievances remain unresolved.
“We are asking the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Ministry of Education to grant JSS autonomy. MPs should reject the sessional paper on comprehensive schools unconditionally because they are not part of our curriculum,” said Linda Wekesa, a JSS teacher in Bungoma.
Her colleague, Augustine Luketelo, also the county secretary for KUPPET, added that pilot projects on comprehensive schools had failed. He stressed that autonomy would provide clarity in financial management, career progression, and leadership structures.
“JSS should have principals, deputy principals, and departmental heads, just like secondary schools. Even uniforms are distinct, and this requires separate financial and administrative management,” Luketelo noted.
Teachers in Baringo and Nakuru counties have echoed similar concerns, highlighting poor laboratory facilities, lack of clear career guidelines, and uncertainty over the confirmation of 20,000 JSS interns.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has strongly backed the campaign, urging President William Ruto to intervene. A KUPPET official in Mombasa lamented that many teachers are forced to spend their own money to sustain student activities due to inadequate funding.
In response, the TSC has proposed a new model where one principal oversees a primary school, assisted by two deputies—one managing the primary section and another in charge of JSS. However, teachers insist that structural autonomy remains the only sustainable solution to avert a looming education crisis.
