Kenya schools to wait longer for teachers

The government on Monday dampened expectations that it would recruit more primary school teachers this financial year to ease the current shortage.

Education permanent secretary James Ole Kiyiapi said Treasury did not allocate adequate funds in the current financial year for recruitment of additional teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

“The Ministry of Education has requested to be allocated more money next financial year to absorb the current 18,000 teachers on contract and an additional 10,000 to bridge the gap in teacher-pupil ratio.

Proposal for funds

Prof Kiyiapi says the Ministry of Education has forwarded for Parliament’s approval, a proposal for funds to recruit at least 15,000 teachers every year to manage the shortage in the next five years.

His comments at the start of the week-long Kenya Primary School Heads Association contradicted the headteachers’ expectations that the government would urgently reduce the workload of 210,000 teachers in close to 20,000 primary schools across the country.

They also expected the government to deal with schools in hardship areas and responsibility allowances for head teachers.

“We expect the issue of understaffing to be addressed once and for all this year,” a headmaster in Migori, Mr Paul Magwa, said.

On Monday, Prof Kiyiapi said the proposal to the Parliamentary Finance Committee would give a lasting solution.