NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 — The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will next week advertise more than 34,000 teacher promotion vacancies, while transitioning 20,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers to permanent and pensionable terms as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s education sector.The announcement was made by TSC Chairperson Dr. Jamleck Muturi during the 40th anniversary celebrations of St. George’s Girls Secondary School in Nairobi on Friday, where Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Julius Ogamba, representing President William Ruto, also outlined the government’s education priorities for the 2026/27 financial year.Muturi said the latest promotions build on the government’s recruitment of 100,000 teachers and promotion of 270,000 others over the past three years.“To the teachers of the whole country, because of the pragmatic leadership of His Excellency the President, the government has been able to employ 100,000 teachers. The government has been able to promote 270,000 teachers. And next week we are advertising the promotion of over 34,000 teachers,” he said.He added that funding had also been allocated to absorb 20,000 JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.“The government also has set aside money to convert 20,000 JSS teachers to permanent and pensionable terms. So this is all meant to ensure that the teachers are motivated, because when you have a motivated teacher, we will have a motivated learner, and the students will perform well,” he said.Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba unveils a commemorative plaque during the 40th anniversary celebrations of St. George’s Girls Secondary School in Nairobi on July 25, 2026/MoERecord education budgetIn a speech delivered on behalf of President Ruto, Ogamba announced that the government had allocated Sh784.5 billion to the education sector in the 2026/27 financial year, the largest allocation in the national budget.He said the funding will support continued implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum, expansion of digital learning infrastructure and equipping learners with skills aligned to the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).The Cabinet Secretary also addressed the recent wave of unrest in schools, saying the Ministry of Education was investigating the causes of the incidents while calling for stronger parental involvement in raising children.He said closer collaboration between schools, parents and communities would be critical in addressing the challenges affecting learners.Ogamba also reminded students to take advantage of the ongoing Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) inter-institutional transfer exercise before the August 14 deadline.The exercise allows students from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 KCSE cohorts who have already secured placement in universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and teacher training colleges to apply for transfers to different institutions or programmes, provided they meet the admission requirements.The transfer window follows KUCCPS’ placement of 293,869 students into institutions of higher learning for the 2026/27 academic year.Muturi also pledged to deploy additional teachers to St. George’s Girls Secondary School, saying the institution was operating with a shortage of eleven teachers.“I have noted with concern the deficiency of teachers. I have been informed… the school is having that problem. We will be able to work together with the CS and we will deploy teachers here. We did it before the school was formed, and we are going to do it even this year,” he said.He encouraged eligible teachers to apply for the upcoming promotion exercise, noting that teachers at the school had also benefited from previous promotions.The TSC Chairperson urged parents to complement classroom learning by instilling values and character in their children, arguing that academic excellence alone was insufficient.Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said, “Education without character is a social evil.”“It doesn’t matter the level of education… if you have no character, that knowledge will kill you,” he added.Muturi also cautioned parents to monitor their children’s use of social media, saying online platforms should be used constructively.“Social media is becoming an enemy to our sons and daughters… Let us engage in social media that is profitable to our brain, to our spiritual growth, and our physical growth,” he said.Celebrating 40 yearsThe announcements came as St. George’s Girls Secondary School celebrated 40 years since its establishment in 1986, bringing together education officials, alumni, parents, former school leaders and students.Former Chief Principal Dr. Naomi Wangai recounted the school’s beginnings, saying it was established after a government directive requiring selected primary schools to create secondary sections. The institution admitted its first Form One students in 1986 before presenting its inaugural KCSE class in 1989.The school’s Board of Management Chairperson urged students to uphold the institution’s motto, “Integrity and Knowledge,” saying academic achievement should always be matched by strong moral character.The Parents Association Chairperson called for closer collaboration between parents, teachers and school administrators noting: “A strong school is built upon a strong partnership between parents. No single group can educate a child alone”.The latest announcements come as schools intensify preparations for this year’s national examinations while the government continues implementing teacher recruitment and promotion programmes, expanding access to higher education and rolling out reforms under the Competency-Based Education curriculum.