The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has outlined a Sh82 billion recruitment plan to address a critical teacher shortage, projecting a potential shortfall of 120,000 educators by 2023 if current rates persist.
Current staffing gaps stand at 96,345 teachers, with 38,054 positions unfilled in primary schools and 58,291 in post-primary institutions. The commission estimates this deficit could rise to 120,000 by 2023 without accelerated hiring, driven by the government's push for universal secondary enrollment.
TSC's 2019-2023 strategic plan reveals annual recruitment needs of Sh16.4 billion, with hiring slated to span from July 2019 through the 2023/2014 financial year. The commission currently employs 317,069 teachers across 30,892 schools, serving 8.07 million primary and 2.76 million post-primary students.
"These include 217,291 teachers serving in 22,263 public primary schools and 99,778 teachers serving in 8,629 public post-primary institutions. The learner population served by these teachers stands at 8,071,662 in the public primary schools and 2,761,769 at the public post-primary school level," the plan said.
Staffing challenges have forced schools to hire 80,000 teachers through board of management budgets, increasing financial pressure on parents. TSC also cited teacher attrition due to slow promotions as a key factor in the crisis.
Teachers' unions have demanded faster promotions for educators with advanced qualifications, noting 54,702 teachers have upgraded their credentials. The commission plans to advertise 20,000 secondary school promotion positions through newspaper campaigns.
