20,000 jobs lined up for teachers

The recruitment of 10,000 additional teachers this year depends on whether the Treasury will release the money.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni (right) wrote to Finance permanent secretary Joseph Kinyua asking for more money to recruit new staff.

If his request is granted, the commission will recruit a total of 20,000 new teachers this year.

The commission started recruiting 11,000 teachers this week after it was allocated Sh3.4 billion in this year’s budget.

Of these, 1,085 will replace those who have left.

Mr Lengoiboni’s decision to write to the Treasury came after Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo claimed the commission had been given enough money to recruit 20,000 teachers at once.

Mr Kilonzo claimed the teachers’ employer had received Sh12 billion and demanded an explanation on why it was employing less teachers.

But Mr Lengoiboni denied receiving the money, saying, he had only received the Sh3.4 billion that would be spent to hire 10,000 teachers.

“There is no way I’d have advertised for fewer jobs if I had been allocated more money,” he said yesterday, dismissing Mr Kilonzo’s claims.

“I am the one who has been pushing for the recruitment of 40,000 more teachers this year and I can’t imagine being the one frustrating a chance to employ more.”

In the letter to the Treasury, Mr Lengoiboni said he had learned from the minister that the Cabinet had approved the recruitment of more teachers than the commission had advertised.

“We were provided with funds to recruit 10,000 additional teachers and not 20,000 as advised by the Education minister,” Mr Lengoiboni said.

“I am therefore writing to request that funds to recruit the 10,000 more teachers be availed to enable the commission undertake the recruitment,” he said.

The standoff comes as the deadline for applicants for the 11,000 jobs ends today.