TSC faces staffing burden due to paltry Sh2bn budget

Nancy Macharia, TSC, George Magoha

Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia and Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha launch the Competency-Based Curriculum on April 23, 2019 at Uhuru Gardens Primary School in Lang'ata.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • This year, TSC announced the recruitment of 5,000 teachers, who have since started to report to their stations.
  • The TSC, in its latest five-year strategic plan, had indicated that it requires Sh82 billion to recruit teachers over the next five years.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has suffered a major blow in its push to have more teachers hired this year after the National Treasury allocated only Sh2 billion for the exercise.

This means that the TSC will only be able to hire less than 5,000 teachers against an annual demand of 12,626 teachers.

TSC chief executive officer Nancy Macharia has warned the National Assembly’s education committee that the full implementation of the 100 per cent transition policy will be affected by the staff shortage.

She said the available 317,000 teachers are overstretched. This year, TSC announced the recruitment of 5,000 teachers, who have since started to report to their stations. The details are contained in budget estimates presented in Parliament this week.

FUNDING

The TSC, in its latest five-year strategic plan, had indicated that it requires Sh82 billion to recruit teachers over the next five years.

This, it said, would enable it to address a biting shortage in schools, currently estimated at about 100,000, which figure is likely to rise to about 120,000 by 2023 unless the number and pace of recruitment is increased.

On average, it will requires Sh16.4 billion annually to recruit teachers. Staff shortage worsened this year with the government push for 100 per cent transition of learners from primary to secondary.

The National Treasury has allocated Sh59.4 billion for free day secondary education, which will include NHIF covers for students in secondary schools.

According to the document, free primary education will get Sh13.4 billion while the school feeding programme’s budget has been reduced from Sh2.5 billion to Sh1.8 billion.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Basic Education Principal Secretary Bellio Kipsang has requested MPs not to reduce the budget, saying it is playing a key role in ensuring that children in arid and semi-arid areas go to school.

The digital literacy programme and competency-based curriculum have been allocated Sh2.4 billion while primary and secondary schools infrastructure have been allocated Sh1.5 billion.

Several schools across the country lack adequate infrastructure due to poor funding.

A report by principals submitted to the Education committee indicated that there is congestion in classrooms, dormitories, halls, laboratories, school fields and washrooms because schools are ill-prepared to handle the transition policy.

“This threatens to lower the quality of learning as the environment is not conducive enough. Makeshift houses made of tents have been converted into classrooms, staffrooms and dining halls.

"Sanitation facilities are inadequate and these, among others, have created a major health risk,” said Kessha chairman Kahi Indimuli, adding that in some secondary schools, students are learning under trees.