Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has announced the government’s plan to hire an additional 20,000 teachers to alleviate the acute shortage witnessed across the country and improve the teacher-student ratio.
Addressing the audience at Kolanya Girl’s National School in Bungoma County, Machogu highlighted that the government has already recruited over 50,000 teachers since assuming office in September 2022.
“So far, since taking office, this government has hired a record 56,750 teachers, and as a ministry, we have secured additional funding to employ 20,000 more teachers this financial year,” stated the education minister.
Machogu also reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing school infrastructure nationwide.
His remarks came in response to concerns raised by Teso South Member of Parliament Mary Emase, who urged the government to promote teachers as a means to enhance overall performance in schools.
Earlier, the school principal lamented the severe shortage of teachers, revealing that they only had 40 government-employed teachers against a target of over 65, as per Ministry of Education guidelines.
Presently, thousands of teachers are yet to secure employment from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), their designated employer.
Despite calls to improve the local teacher-student ratio, the TSC announced in February that it was in discussions with the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other stakeholders to explore opportunities for teachers abroad.
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Calvin Anyuor, TSC Director of Legal Affairs, explained that Kenya currently has a surplus of teachers, making it feasible to explore employment opportunities overseas, such as teaching English in Germany.
With over 400,000 teachers currently employed by TSC, the commission aims to hire 46,000 teacher interns on permanent and pensionable terms by the next year. These interns are nearing the completion of their two-year contract program.