Members of Parliament from the National Assembly Education Committee have supported the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in advocating for the approval of the suggested allocation of Ksh382. 3 billion in the 2025/26 budget.
During a meeting with the Liaison Committee on Friday, the Committee Chair, Julius Melly, made the request. Melly indicated that this funding would allow the commission to recruit 18,000 intern teachers, appoint 18,000 permanent secondary school teachers, and elevate 20,000 teachers.
“These recruitments and promotions will continue to fill the gaps in teaching resources and additionally inspire teachers regarding their career advancement,” MP Melly affirmed.
Alongside this essential recruitment of additional teachers, the MPs acknowledged that the funding would be vital for other educational areas.
These included a Ksh6. 3 billion deficit for collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for university personnel and Ksh20. 9 billion for capitation, scholarships, and loans aimed at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.
The latter is anticipated to also assist the 2024 cohort, which will enroll in TVET institutions in 2025. An additional Ksh890 million is being requested to establish TVET institutions in constituencies that currently do not have them.
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The initiative to hire more teachers comes shortly after graduate teachers expressed concerns that the commission was taking an excessive amount of time to issue TSC numbers.
They also conveyed their dissatisfaction regarding the length of the internship programmes, asserting that it should be condensed as they had to struggle in their lives for extended periods due to the low remuneration levels.
“We urge the government that rather than employing a teacher as an intern for one or two years, that duration is sufficient to transform someone’s life if you provide them with adequate resources,” remarked a graduate teacher.
The initiative to promote 20,000 teachers has encountered several obstacles since it was announced in 2024.
In early November, TSC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia disclosed that 20,000 primary school head teachers awaiting promotion to Junior Secondary School (JSS) principals would have to postpone until a new CBA was finalized.
While addressing the school leaders at this year’s Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association (KEPSHA) meeting, he encouraged them to work together with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to ensure they understand their roles as heads of JSS institutions.