TSC Warns of Looming Crisis as Kenya Faces 98,000-Plus Teacher Shortage
Thousands of graduates who were optimistic about securing jobs and advancements with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will have to delay their hopes. This follows the commission’s acknowledgment that it is facing a shortfall in budget allocation to support its operations.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia informed lawmakers that the commission is experiencing an escalating human resource crisis that threatens to destabilize Kenya’s education sector.
According to the TSC leader, the situation could deteriorate further with the rollout of the Senior Secondary School under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which will necessitate an increase in the number of teachers.
TSC disclosed that it is contending with a teacher deficit of 98,261, a number anticipated to climb even higher by 2026.
Macharia pointed out that even though the government currently allocates Ksh1 billion each year for teacher promotions, this sum is inadequate to support the rising number of qualified educators.
As per TSC, this funding can only facilitate the promotion of 6,000 teachers, which is significantly lower than the half a million educators required to fulfill the demand.
“While we appreciate the Ksh1 billion provided for teacher promotions, this amount is merely enough to promote 6,000 teachers from a teaching population exceeding 500,000. This situation continues to demoralize deserving teachers and impacts service delivery in our schools,” Macharia remarked.
In the meantime, lawmakers expressed concerns about the fair distribution of teachers and the delays in the hiring of those already registered with TSC.
Tongaren MP John Chikati questioned the regional inequalities in teacher distribution, highlighting instances where counties like Kakamega receive significantly fewer teachers than others.
“This Committee needs clarity on why some counties are disadvantaged in teacher allocations. We must ensure fairness in teacher deployment across all regions,” Chikati asserted.
The MPs urged the Commission to give priority to unemployed teachers who have maintained TSC registration numbers for several years.
However, Macharia stressed that teacher staffing is regulated by legal frameworks, including the Curriculum-Based Establishment (CBE) and staffing norms created for primary and junior secondary schools.
“Our staffing policy is informed by curriculum requirements and national staffing standards. We have field officers tasked with overseeing redeployments to ensure compliance with these guidelines,” she clarified.
TSC encounters various challenges, including the creation of new public schools without accompanying funding for staff recruitment, inadequate numbers of teachers trained in CBC subject areas, increasing demands in challenging regions, and sporadic hostility from host communities.