TSC requires 50,000 more teachers to address staffing gaps

The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, is planning to recruit an additional 5,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms. This is according to the commission boss Dr. Nancy Macharia. While appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee on Tuesday, Dr. Macharia said the teachers’ employer will require close to Sh1.2 billion in the 2020/2021 financial year to recruit the teachers so as to close the teething staff shortages experienced in public schools.

She said part of the money will be required to recruit 10,000 more teachers on internship. There are currently over 10,000 intern teachers who were recruited during the 2019/ 2020 financial year.

This comes as the commission reports that the country is facing a shortage of about 50,000 teachers. A situation that has greatly overburdened the available tutors. According to Dr. Macharia, primary schools require 48,173 more teachers to address the shortage. There are 211,046 primary school teachers currently out of the required number of 259,219.

Garissa, West Pokot, Wajir and Narok counties headline the list of counties with the highest staff shortages. A closer look at this list shows that most of these areas are largely hardship areas.

Nairobi, Kirinyaga, Laikipia, Uasin Gishu, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Murang’a, Meru, Isiolo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Embu and Kiambu counties are more comfortable in terms of meeting their staffing needs.

TVETs require over Sh6 billion.

The commission is at the same time seeking about Sh500 million to be used by its field operations to facilitate its officers.

“Field officers play a key role in ensuring maintenance of teaching standards through regular monitoring and quality assurance at the school level,” Dr. Macharia told Legislators this past Tuesday.

On his part, Education Cabinet Secretary says the ministry is in need of Sh429 million to mitigate the effects of covid-19 in the sector. Prof. Magoha says part of the funds will be utilize in buying sanitizers, soaps, masks and carry out covid-19 tests for staff and students in the various Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, institutions in the country.

The CS, while appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee on Tuesday, sought for an additional Sh6.6 billion shillings. Of this amount, Sh3.8 billion will be used in catering for needs of the projected 300,000 new numbers of TVET students. There are currently 173,000 students studying in the TVETS countrywide. The remaining Sh2.8 billion is to be directed towards recruitment of an additional 3,674 TVBETs tutors.