The ministry of education has directed that only TSC certified teachers be assigned classes in Kenyan schools effective January 2017.
Education CS Fred Matiang'i said on Monday that the ministry has instructed
county commissioners to enforce the order.
The administrators will conduct an inspection in all schools to ensure that only qualified teachers handle lessons at the institutions.
"I have told county commissioners that beginning January, no one will be teaching in a school in Kenya if they do not have TSC certificate," Matiang'i said during the launch of an audit report on Bridge International Academies.
Matiangi said that the directive was to ensure law and order is maintained in the education sector.
"Each and everyone of us has to operate according to the law of the land. We surely have to put some order in our operations if we are going to salvage the education sector," the CS said.
He further pointed out that institutions that were operating illegally will also be shut down.
"We are also targeting schools that are not registered or are operating on illegal licenses," the CS said.
In February, Matiang'i pointed out that he would take action on institutions that operated and hired unqualified teachers.
Among those pointed out was the Bridge International which the CS said has to align its operations to the standard operating procedures of schools in the country.
The institution had earlier defend itself on the claims, stating that they had adhered to the requirement and had at least 30 per cent of qualified staff.
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Some of the required regulations released by Matiang’i then, required 30 per cent of the teachers to be professionally trained as well as have the children sit for national exams.
The Teachers Service Commission Act 2012 Article 237 requires the commission to register all qualified teachers before they can provide lessons in any public or private institution.
A teacher who meets the requirements for registration will be issued with the certificate of registration bearing a TSC number within 30 days.
Knut proposes closure of Bridge International Schools
The Kenya National Union of Teachers has recommended the closure of Bridge International Academies following study indicating that 71.5 per cent of teachers are not registered under any union as well as lacking some teaching requirements.
While receiving a report on low cost schools in the country, Education CS Fred Matiang'i said the government will soon make a pronouncement on the above schools and their impact on the education system.
"We have had serious engagements with the heads of all bridge schools and we will make a stand soon enough which will make them among others start teaching Kenya's history and Kiswahili starting April 2017," he stated.
The school however on Twitter wrote assuring of quality education for all students as well as having skilled and qualified staff in all the institutions countrywide.
"All parents have a choice on where they want their kids to learn. If they choose us, well and good. We provide quality. " The tweet read.
Bridge International Academies is a leading education innovation organisation founded in Kenya in 2008, working with governments and parents across Africa and Asia to create access for all children to a high-quality education needed to progress and thrive.
It operates over 470 nursery and primary schools in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, India and Liberia. Bridge uses technology to streamline school administration, deliver lesson plans to teachers, facilitate classroom management, and track learning gains in real time.