The Government of Kenya, through the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) will be hiring an additional 6,000 teachers.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has revealed that the 6,000 teachers will be employed to assist with the implementation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Also read: TSC circular to all teachers warning on school absenteeism & class attendance
Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, January 20, Mwaura noted that the plans were also in line with the preparation for the Grade 10 class which will be the inaugural class of the Senior Secondary School (SSS).
“The Government is actively addressing teacher shortages and supporting the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) transition.” Said Mwaura.
“To date, the government has employed 56,000 permanent and pensionable teachers, along with 20,000 interns, to strengthen the education workforce. Additionally, 8,707 teachers have been replaced to ensure continuity in learning,” he added.
“To further enhance the transition to CBC, the government plans to employ another 6,000 teachers in due course.” Mwaura noted.
“This effort demonstrates our commitment to providing quality education and adequate staffing for a seamless implementation of the curriculum to ensure every Kenyan child has access to well-trained educators and a robust learning environment.” he added.
On the other hand, the government cautioned principals and school heads against introducing new school levies.
Mwaura noted that many parents had complained during the recent school opening, further promising action against the school administrators.
“The government has noted concerns regarding the reintroduction of banned levies in some senior schools,” he added.
“The administration reiterates that such practices are strictly prohibited, and appropriate action will be taken against any school administrators found to be in violation of this directive.”
Exact details of the recruitment including the date for the opening application of the portal will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the Treasury will release Sh48.8 billion in capitation to schools starting this week.
Mbadi asked the school heads not to panic, as the government is committed to supporting the education system, which is very important for the country.
“The reason why we have not released capitation is because this month we had to repay a Sh70 billion loan to external borrowers, which we have now completed paying this week. Next week we are releasing Sh48.8 billion capitation,” he explained.
He said that after the disbursement of capitation to schools, the government will release Sh31 billion to counties.
“After that, we will start paying salaries, which will also take approximately Sh75 billion. If you add those amounts, we are already at Sh225 billion, and yet we collect an average of Sh230 billion only every month. So you can see the challenges we have,” the CS pointed out.
He urged Kenyans to understand that the country is still recovering from heavy borrowing of funds, which has led to some delays affecting some government operations.
“Kenyans should understand that we still have a problem, we borrowed a lot of money, especially from 2014, which is choking the government, we are not out of the woods yet. I promised and pledged that I would be more transparent and accountable because the money that we use, we spend, and the money that we plan with at the Treasury belongs to the people of Kenya because you are the taxpayers,” he said.
Mbadi said that the country sometimes faces economic challenges as the government is trying to get out of the debt trap but assured that Kenyans will not be overtaxed.
“I have also committed myself and the people of Kenya, and the president is in agreement that we must not overtax Kenyans any more. The only avenue we have is to broaden the tax base so that those who have not been paying taxes should pay taxes. Then we also improve our systems, especially the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), to be more efficient in collecting our taxes and minimising and eliminating corruption so that we can use the taxpayer’s money more prudently,” he added.
He said he will continue to move around the country to inspect and witness the transformation that Kenyans are going through out of their taxes and understand the challenges they still face.