58,000 new teachers for schools is a great idea

Ongoing talks between the new government of President William Ruto and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are expected to ease the perennial problem of teacher shortages.

Some 58,000 teachers will be employed during the current financial year at a cost of Sh25 billion, according to the proposals. This is welcome.

However, currently, the focus is on the last term of the primary and secondary schools’ academic year.

It is about preparations for the Class Eight and Form Four national examinations and plans to usher in the new Grade 6 under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

This is, of course, a busy period in the education sector, as the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic gives way to the restoration of the normal school calendar.

The planned recruitment will be a boon to the thousands of unemployed teachers and those hired by the school boards of management.

It will also ease the burden on the schools and parents, who continue to fork out the funds to pay the BOM teachers.

Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s education charter has targeted hiring 116,000 teachers in two years to address the acute shortage in public schools.

President Ruto signed the charter in June with stakeholders in the education sector. During the last recruitment in July, more than 356,000 jobless teachers applied for only 14, 460 vacancies advertised by the TSC. 

Hopefully, the TSC will ensure fair distribution of the teachers, catering also to the remote regions that have over the years grappled with severe teacher shortages.

In the northern regions, the problem has been compounded by the terrorism menace, in which non-local teachers have been targeted. 

The government should be commended for the commitment to recruit more teachers as the country prepares for a double intake in January.

The hiring of unemployed trained teachers should go a long way in easing the countrywide shortage and boosting education.