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NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) has urged the government to increase budgetary support for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to enable the hiring of more teachers. The call follows recent data from the TSC, which revealed an overwhelming 314,117 applications for 46,000 advertised teaching positions between October 1 and 8.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, speaking before the Parliamentary Education Committee, detailed that 93,646 applications were for 6,000 primary school posts, while 144,177 were for 39,550 junior secondary school (JSS) positions. Additionally, 76,294 candidates applied for 450 advertised secondary school teaching roles.
Benter Opande, CEO of KEWOTA, welcomed the move to hire more teachers but emphasized the need for increased funding to address the current teacher-student ratio shortfall. “The teacher-student ratio in Kenya is a critical factor that impacts the quality of education. According to the Basic Education Statistical Booklet 2020, the recommended ratios are 1:25 for pre-primary, 1:40 for primary, and 1:35 for secondary schools. However, some regions are grappling with ratios as high as 1:70,” Opande explained.
She stressed that increasing the TSC budget would allow for the recruitment of more educators, ultimately improving the quality of education by reducing the teacher-pupil ratio to acceptable levels. Opande also highlighted the importance of continuous training and capacity building for teachers, particularly in ICT, to meet the demands of innovative teaching methods under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Opande concluded by calling on the government to invest in school infrastructure and seek partnerships to ensure the sustainability of the CBC program. “Improving infrastructure and ensuring adequate staffing are critical to making the CBC a success,” she said, underscoring the need for a concerted effort to address these educational challenges.
