The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will soon employ 6,000 teachers to Special Needs Education (SNE) schools in an effort to tackle a pressing shortage.
Initially, a section of these teachers were stationed at SNE institutions before transitioning to regular schools, where career progression seemed more assured.
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In a recent agreement between the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) and TSC, these teachers will now return to the special schools, which have been experiencing declining enrollment.
Following discussions held in Naivasha last week, the employer has agreed to execute the deployment in three phases, beginning in the second academic term.
The first phase will involve 1,750 teachers, followed by a deployment of 2,000 teachers in December, with the final phase consisting of 347 teachers who previously served in SNE but later moved to mainstream schools.
students sitting for their KCSE examination; Image/KNEC
KUSNET chairman Peter Sitienei expressed optimism that this move would enhance the quality of education in special schools.
Currently, there are 300 primary schools and 38 secondary schools catering to students with special needs and disabilities.
Sitienei emphasized the importance of exempting teachers in special units within mainstream schools from other duties, allowing them to focus solely on students with special needs.
Sitienei further stressed the necessity of assessing special needs children at the county level and advocated for the establishment of devolved units of cycle education centers across all counties.
He acknowledged the challenges involved, including the need for substantial manpower, financial resources, and organizational restructuring, to ensure effective curriculum delivery to these learners.
Kusnet’s chairman welcomed TSC’s commitment to establish an SNE section at its headquarters, staffed with personnel well-versed in SNE matters.
The move concerted effort to enhance learning in special needs schools coincides with the National Assembly Education Committee’s call for increased funding allocation to SNE.
During a meeting with Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie, a committee member, lamented the staffing shortages in special needs schools nationwide, highlighting the plight of parents who struggle to afford sending their children to such schools due to financial constraints.
