The Teacher Service Commission (TSC) is facing a huge recruitment problem, as it has emerged that about 25,000 teachers are set to retire over 2 years.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) said on Wednesday that held of the teachers are over 59 years and will retire in June.
This happened amid a staffing gap of 26,804 instructors after the government’s policy on 100 percent transition from primary to secondary school increased the population of students in schools.
“Our finding is that as of November 2020, the teaching service has 25,000 teachers who are 58 years and above. This means that Kenya is looking at a deep teacher shortage that calls for radical measures to address the issue,” said KUPPET secretary-general Akello Misori.
TSC said it would need a figure of Sh. 17 billion to hire 12,00 tutor before schools reopen on January 4 so as to paper over the cracks of a teacher shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learners are required to sit in small groups. This will mean that a single class may have to be broken down into two or three more streams.
The Ministry of Education is insisting on 25 learners per class versus the normal average of around 60 students per class. This is intended to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
TSC has only employed 23,700 teachers since 2017, against a target of 50,504.
“We are calling for urgent plans for the hiring of at least 50,000 teachers over the next one year and 15,000 at the minimum per year between 2021 and 2026,” said Mr. Misori. The commission’s target has not yet been met because of the inadequate budgetary provision.
The state treasury had allocated TSC Sh. 3.2 Billion for the recruitment of teachers in the year beginning on July even though the request of Sh. 20.2 Billion affects its plans of increasing the number of teachers.
More teachers are needed due to the government’s 100 percent transition from primary school to secondary schools even as the government itself admitted that achieving social distancing in schools will remain the elephant in the room.
Earlier in 2020, the Ministry of Education announced that it had attained the 99.8 percent target transition target for 2019 KCPE candidates who were to join form one.
In October 2019, a total of 102, 918 trained but jobless tutors applied for 10,300 internship positions that TSC advertised.
The huge recruitment is aimed at easing the severe shortage in the basic education sector, which is now more than 100,000.