This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
Kenya's Education Cabinet Secretary, Prof George Magoha, has announced plans to recruit 80,000 contract teachers to support the country's over-stretched teaching staff. The recruitment drive is expected to cost Sh. 2 billion.
According to Magoha, the contract teachers will help bridge the shortage of teachers in the country's schools, particularly in primary and secondary institutions. The government has set aside Sh. 2 billion to hire the teachers, who will be paid Sh. 14,000 and Sh. 10,000 per month for secondary and primary school teachers respectively.
Magoha's announcement comes after the National Assembly endorsed a proposal to recruit 87,393 interns to address the staffing gap in schools. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had requested Sh. 2 billion to recruit the interns, with the aim of addressing the shortage of teachers in the country.
However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has expressed concerns over the recruitment of contract teachers, citing the need for clear terms of employment and remuneration. Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion has stated that the union will support the policy as long as it respects labour laws.
On the overall shortage of teachers, the TSC has estimated that it requires Sh. 6.5 billion to hire 10,000 additional teachers. The commission currently has 318,010 teachers on its payroll across primary and secondary schools.
According to a list tabled by TSC in Parliament, primary schools have a total teaching force of 216,517, leaving a shortage of 37,643. Secondary schools have a total staffing force of 100,493, leaving a gap of 49,750.
MPs have directed TSC to prepare proper guidelines for the recruitment of the tutors, with the National Assembly Education Committee chair, Julius Melly, instructing the commission to develop a policy framework and bring it before the committee by Monday next week.
