The government has reaffirmed its dedication to ensuring a realistic and achievable student-to-teacher ratio by hiring 20,000 new teachers by July to address the severe shortage.
Speaking at Kolanya Girls National School, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu highlighted that the Kenya Kwanza administration has already recruited over 50,000 teachers within its inaugural year in office.
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“Since independence, the government has undertaken a significant recruitment drive, employing 56,750 teachers to alleviate the acute shortage across the nation.” Machogu emphasized.
Cs Machogu encouraged students to embrace Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to acquire relevant skills for both local and international job markets.
“The government has ensured that every constituency hosts a TVET institution, aiming to equip the younger generation with marketable skills,” he stated.
Besides the Cs announced the allocation of Sh23 billion for public secondary school capitation, resolving the prolonged financial crisis that jeopardized institutional operations.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to enhancing school infrastructure, Machogu presented Kolanya Girls and St. Pauls Amukura with a donation of Sh10 million each to accommodate the growing student population.
Machogu urged parents to leverage various TVET institutions to equip their children with applicable skills for the evolving job market.
His remarks came in response to concerns raised by Teso South Member of Parliament Mary Emase, who advocated for teacher promotion as a means to boost overall academic performance.
Earlier, the school principal highlighted the challenges posed by the teacher shortage, revealing that only 40 government-employed teachers were available, significantly below the target of over 65 teachers as per Ministry of Education guidelines.
Despite calls to address the local teacher-student ratio, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced discussions with relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries of Labor and Foreign Affairs, to explore employment opportunities for teachers abroad.
TSC Director Legal, Calvin Anyuor, defended the move, citing a surplus of teachers in Kenya and the potential benefits of overseas placements.
Currently, TSC employs over 400,000 teachers and plans to recruit 46,000 teacher interns on permanent and pensionable terms by next year.