The Teachers Service Commission has launched a program to recognize and reward dedicated teachers.
Teachers who have gone above and above to improve education standards in the country will be recognized through the Mwalimu Award program.
According to TSC, the commission is currently establishing standardized criteria and mechanisms for awarding teachers.
As part of the initiative, teachers will be rewarded for their efforts in a variety of categories, including academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.
During the release of the 2021 KCSE examination results, Dr Nancy Macharia, CEO of the Teachers Service Commission, stated that the commission will engage with relevant officers to examine methods of institutionalizing the Mwalimu awards within existing policy and legal frameworks.
I am pleased to report that President Uhuru Kenyatta graciously approved the commission’s suggestion to establish a Mwalimu Award to honor outstanding teachers today.
“In addition, the President has asked the commission to work with relevant offices to investigate possibilities for institutionalizing this award within current policy and legal frameworks,” Dr Macharia said.
Nancy also announced that the commission will begin the process of hiring 5,000 teachers as soon as possible to help alleviate the existing teacher shortage in schools, with an emphasis on sub-county secondary schools, which admit the bulk of pupils.
She noted that the government has allotted Ksh 2.5 billion to TSC for permanent teacher recruitment, with an extra Ksh 1.2 billion set out for intern hiring.
According to Dr. Macharia, the commission will start training CBC secondary teachers on April 25th of this year, in readiness for the first batches of junior secondary school pupils in January 2023.
The course, which ends on May 13th, intends to train all secondary school teachers by the end of the year.
