Thousands of teachers angling for 46,000 vacancies advertised by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on Monday decried the technical errors they experienced while lodging their applications.
Most of the applicants, who vented out their frustrations online stated the biggest issue was the portal’s failure to send the one-time password in a timely manner despite the time crunch presented by the one-week deadline. Some used this as a basis to claim the hitches were intentional.
Initially, most just received an ‘internal server error’ notification when they tried to log into the portal to apply despite trying several times. One X user on Tuesday wrote, “TSC Kenya your online job application portal is non-responding, kindly let your ICT team check that. It's bringing error log messages.”
By October 2, just a day after the applications kicked off, more applicants were beginning to get more wary of the situation due to the deadline imposed.
“TSC kindly tell us what is happening with your website. Have been trying to log in since yesterday but not possible dateline for job application is Monday and I can't log in.”
“TSC Kenya the applications on pnp advertised jobs are not going through since yesterday. Personally, I have tried the system but nothing is forthcoming. Kindly the ICT department do something to allow teachers beat the 7th October deadline,” another one wrote.
Following the uproar that had left many questioning if the error was intentional, TSC released a statement in a bid to quell fears. The body blamed the glitch on a technical issue assuring the applicants the situation would be resolved promptly.
“We regret to inform you that we are currently experiencing technical challenges affecting the teacher recruitment portal. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and kindly request your patience as we work diligently to restore the portal as soon as possible,” the statement read.
However, as the deadline drew closer, more technical errors continued to impede the application process. The main issue reported concerned the one-time password that took up to days to be delivered despite being an integral part of the application process.
“TSC please fix the problem as soon as possible. We haven’t slept for the past two days struggling to apply,” another applicant shared echoing several others who continued to express their concerns.
The whole issue compounded on the issues teachers have been facing in the recent past.
The government had earlier announced that the Treasury did not have enough funds to hire the teachers. Finance Minister John Mbadi would later backtrack on this stance months down the line stating that the funds were available but could not be accessed until January 2025.
TSC would later advertise for 46,000 teacher positions; 38,500 positions in Junior Secondary Schools, 6,000 in Primary Schools, and 450 in Secondary Schools.
