Looming crisis as TSC facing a shortage of 98,281 teachers

Teachers' Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia before the National Assembly's Committee on Education at the Bunge Towers, Nairobi. March 4, 2024 [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The education sector could be headed towards a catastrophe following revelations by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)  that it was faced by a biting shortage of 98,281 teachers.

The commission’s Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia yesterday also revealed that qualified and trained teachers were inadequate, given the insufficient budgetary allocations for the same.

Appearing before the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee, Macharia told MPs that the lack of funds to hire teachers had led to a teacher’s shortage in public schools, consequently inhibiting on the children's right to access basic quality education as enshrined under article 43 of the constitution.

“The teachers’ shortage currently stands at 98,261 and that includes Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers. This number is however anticipated to rise next year after the roll out of senior schools. TSC has not achieved the optimal number of teachers since its establishment hence the need for more budgetary allocations,” she stated.

The Committee also heard that the shortage had led to teaching gaps in the new learning areas introduced under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). This is in areas such as media technology, woodwork, jewelry and ornament making, sculpture, leather craft, marine and fisheries technology, general science, and indigenous languages.

In the same breath, the CEO expressed concern over the “rampant” establishment of new schools without a conforming budgetary allocation to recruit teachers. This, she added, had brought about issues such as schools bearing the same names, being physically too close to each other.

To remedy this, she stated in her submission, “Increased budget for recruitment of teachers to meet the staffing needs of the newly established schools. Strengthen coordination between key stakeholders including sponsors, investors, politicians to ensure planned establishment of new schools and expansion of existing ones.”

The Runyenjes MP Karemba Muchangi-led committee said that a lack of funding had also hindered the proper promotion of teachers.

“As of December last year, only 200,022 teachers were qualified for promotion as they had completed three years and above in one grade with others joining the teachers on an annual basis,” she stated.

This was in response to a question by Tiaty MP William Kamket who had questioned the recent promotion exercise, questioning the criteria.

The issue of medical covers for teachers also came up, with MPs seeking to know why they could not access services and had to at time s go out of pocket.

Macharia however submitted that again, budgetary constraints were to blame.

“Our commission requires approxmately Sh54 billion for the scheme but we are only allocated Sh20 billion…that is why sometimes when teachers go to hospitals they may not get service but it’s not because they are not covered but because there’s no budgetary allocation,” she observed.

The MPs further raised concerns over the recent promotion of over 25,000 teachers by the commission noting that in some areas, fresh college graduates had been appointed way ahead of others who had graduated years earlier.

“In Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS) where we have a huge deficit of teachers, you’ll find that because we recruit based on locality, teachers that recently graduated apply and may end up on the payroll,” explained Macharia.

Committee chair Karemba directed that the CEO table’s a report on the distribution of teachers across the country.

Meanwhile, the commission CEO was yesterday confronted by accusations of surrendering her role of teacher’s appointments to politicians through the irregular issuance of employment letters to them for issuance.

 Macharia stated that the allegations were not true and she had just read them in the “papers”.

 “…I read this thing in the papers. If you can check our website, you will see how we carry out our recruitment. However, I am concerned because these things give TSC a very bad name,” she stated.

The matter had been brought up by Matungu MP Oscar Nabulindo who sought to know why cabinet secretaries have been distributing employment letters at political gatherings.

Chairperson Karemba called for a rectification of the same.

 “I believe that we are setting a very bad example if the recruitment of teachers must be done by the political class. It is incumbent on us to bring this issue to an end.”