Mass hire of tutors in Technical colleges

Students learning to sew at Nakuru Youth Polytechnic in Bondeni, Nakuru, on May 1, 2020. [Kennedy Gachuhi, Standard]

The government has set the stage to hire 1,000 tutors for 144 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) this month ahead of the institutions' reopening.

Out of this, 887 tutors will be posted to Technical Training Institutes (TTIs), 79 will go to national polytechnics and 34 will be posted to special needs institutions.

In an advertisement, Public Service Commission's CEO Dr Simon Rotich urged degree and diploma holders to apply for the positions.

This comes barely two weeks after President William Ruto indicated his administration's commitment to employing more tutors in TVET institutions across the country.

''We are going to hire 2,000 tutors this month to make sure we are up to date with the skills and competencies that are taught in our institutions, especially those focusing on engineering,'' Dr Ruto said.

The Head of State indicated his disappointment in the decline in TVET education, saying the Presidential Working Party recommendations will ensure the well-being of TVET institutions and universities.

''The TVET programme, which has been my pet project that I have been pushing since I was the minister of Higher Education, slowed down in the last four years because of politics," Ruto added.

Speaking during the Eldoret Polytechnic 17th graduation ceremony last year, the former PS Margaret Mwakima noted that the government was committed to recruiting 3,000 more tutors to reduce the existing deficit.

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''We already have the approval to recruit 3,000 trainers and we want to bridge the gap that is currently at 6,500 trainers. Our TVET institutions are constrained as far as trainers are concerned," Dr Mwakima said.

''The funds we give in form of capitation is going to recurrent budgets rather than development projects due to many trainers being contracted by the councils or boards," she said.

Eldoret National Polytechnic will have the highest number of recruited tutors at 12 while Kabete, Kenya, Coast and Kisii national polytechnics will each receive nine tutors. Kisumu, Nyeri and Sigalagala national polytechnics will each get eight teachers while NEP Kenya and Meru polytechnics get six and five tutors respectively.

The most sought tutors include those trained in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical Engineering (Power), Surveying, Architectural, Building and Civil Engineering and Medical Laboratory Technology.

The tutors will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms. Those in Job Group C2, formerly Job Group K, will be required to have a bachelor's degree in relevant areas and be registered with relevant bodies.

Tutors will be entitled to a salary between Sh35,400 and Sh46,230 per month, with a commuter allowance of Sh6,000 per month and an annual leave allowance of Sh5,000 per annum.

Those in Job Group J will need to be diploma holders in advertised disciplines and proficient in computer application skills. They will earn a monthly salary of between Sh29,190 and Sh34,440 per month, a commuter allowance of Sh4,000 per month and an annual leave allowance of Sh4,000 per annum.