Hope as Mandera teachers college welcomes first batch of trainees

Adow added: "Teaching is a noble profession, and we warmly welcome those who couldn't secure university placements after graduating from secondary school in 2016 to join us."

This significant milestone comes at a crucial time when a considerable number of teachers from other parts of the country have left Mandera over insecurity.

Area Governor Mohamed Kalif said: "Mandera County has made substantial investments in the college's infrastructure and teacher education. With a move to modern facilities and the admission of 254 teacher trainees in just two days, we anticipate total admissions exceeding 400 very soon."

Mandera teachers training college principal Issack Maalim Adow (left) received a 25kg bag of rice from Governor Mohamed Kalif on September 12, 2023. [Ibrahim Adan Ali, Standard]

In addition to donating assorted food supplies to the institution, Governor Kalif pledged to pay 50 per cent of the college fees for all students, emphasizing his commitment to address the teacher shortage crisis in the area and the need to empower local educators.

"In this financial year, we will cover 50 per cent of college fees, with additional funding secured from NG-CDF, Ngaaf, and ward bursary allocations," Governor Kalif assured.

According to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Mandera County requires more than 2,000 teachers to bridge the gap in 300 public primary schools and 550 public secondary schools. Governor Kalif's ambitious goal is to train over 1,500 local teachers within the next three years.

"Moreover, we aim to train more than 1,500 local teachers in the next three years. This initiative represents significant progress in addressing our persistent teacher shortage and ensuring a brighter educational future for our county," declared the optimistic governor.

Mandera faced a significant setback in 2016 when a mass exodus of teachers occurred due to insecurity, severely affecting the education sector. Recently, hundreds of teachers from Mandera have been camped outside the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) offices in Nairobi, seeking transfers to their home counties.

Expressing his relief, Kalif appealed to the TSC to minimize the posting of non-resident teachers to Mandera in light of the continuous requests for transfers by educators in the region.