The Government Allocates Sh19.7 billion For the Recruitment of Teachers.
President William Ruto has unveiled a significant commitment to addressing the teacher shortage in Kenya. The government is set to allocate a substantial sum of Sh19.7 billion to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to recruit more teachers to enhance the education sector. Ruto made this announcement during the recent Taxpayers Day celebrations in Mombasa. It’s worth noting that this financial support is pending approval as part of the supplementary budget in the National Assembly.
The education sector benefits significantly from the supplementary budget, with a total allocation of Sh62 billion. Ruto highlighted the government’s determination to bolster the teaching workforce by increasing the budget allocated to TSC by Sh20 billion. This allocation is in response to hiring an impressive 56,000 additional teachers who will be added to the payroll this year.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has made significant progress in alleviating the teacher shortage. In the past year, they hired 35,790 new teachers, marking a substantial improvement in addressing this critical issue. Notably, they appointed 1,000 educators on permanent and pensionable terms for primary schools, and 3,986 interns joined the school system. Furthermore, they recruited an outstanding 9,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms for junior secondary schools, and an additional 21,365 became intern teachers for junior schools. This approach represents a significant departure from the previous administration, which hired approximately 5,000 teachers annually.
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President Ruto emphasized the government’s commitment to this endeavor when he declared, “For the first time, the government has employed 35,000 teachers this year, unprecedented in recent history. By August, we aim to recruit an additional 25,000 teachers, ensuring every child in Kenya has access to quality education.”
In the current fiscal year, the education sector received an initial allocation of Sh628.6 billion, and the supplementary budget will inject an additional Sh62 billion into the industry. The commitment to investing in education is evident in this budget boost. President Ruto underscored the significance of this funding, explaining, “If you compare last year. The education budget last year was Sh545 billion to Sh690 billion. This year, the budget factored in with the current supplementary budget, that is, Sh145 billion additional money for our education. This is deliberate because we believe every child in Kenya should have a chance at life by ensuring access to education.”
The supplementary budget also caters to the State Department for Higher Education and Research, which will receive an extra Sh29.3 billion, bringing the total budget to Sh157.9 billion. This boost in funding is primarily aimed at supporting scholarships under the new funding model.
President Ruto emphasized that this investment in higher education is essential for developing improved human capital. He remarked, “We are increasing the money to our universities by a whole Sh48 billion. So what I see on the horizon is an improved human capital.”
In conclusion, the government’s commitment to addressing the teacher shortage in Kenya is evident through the substantial allocation of Sh19.7 billion to the TSC. This investment is part of a broader effort to strengthen the education sector, with a supplementary budget set to provide Sh62 billion. These measures form a comprehensive strategy aimed at guaranteeing access to quality education for every child in Kenya and enhancing the nation’s human capital by increasing investments in higher education.
The Government Allocates Sh19.7 billion For the Recruitment of Teachers.