Before the start of the new academic year in May, Nancy Macharia, CEO of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), stated that the commission will undertake an audit of all schools across the country to guarantee that all schools have a balanced teacher-to-learner ratio.
She acknowledged that there is a major teacher shortage in primary and secondary schools across the country.
Ms. Macharia said the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is short of 114,581 teachers at the release of the 2021 KCPE results on Monday at the KNEC offices in Nairobi.
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While the government finances the annual recruitment of 5,000 teachers, according to the TSC president, this amount is insufficient to serve the country’s ever-increasing number of students.
“We thank Government for finding resources for us to recruit an average of 5,000 teachers annually for our public schools. However, we still have a shortage of 114,581 teachers in primary & post-primary institutions due to increased enrollment.” Says Macharia.
The existing teacher-to-student ratio, according to the TSC president, is uneven and does not fulfill globally recognized norms.
At a meeting attended by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, Macharia blamed the deficit on the 100 percent transition strategy from primary to secondary schools.
“This is due to increasing enrolment as a result of the 100% transition strategy and the registration of new schools,” the TSC president explained.
She went on to explain that before the start of the next academic year in May 2022, the Commission will undertake a nationwide audit of all basic education institutions to guarantee that they have a balanced teacher-learner ratio.
Macharia announced that in April, 60,000 TSC-registered teachers will undergo training in Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). This marks the beginning of junior secondary school.
According to CS Magoha, who announced the KCPE results, the class of 2021 will be the second to take the national test under the 8-4-4 system. Under CBC, grades 7 and 8 will be shifted to high school.
Since then, the state has spent billions of dollars overseeing the construction of tens of thousands of classrooms throughout the country. Magoha added that before transferring over to the next CS in the administration established after the August 9, 2022 elections, he will ensure that classroom construction is completed.
