Thousands of graduates who were hopeful of landing employment and promotions with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will have to wait longer. This comes after the commission admitted that it is facing inadequate budgetary allocation to fund its activities.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia told lawmakers that the commission is facing a growing human resource crisis that could undermine Kenya's education sector.
According to the TSC boss, the situation could worsen with the implementation of the Senior Secondary School under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which would require an additional number of teachers.
TSC revealed that it is facing a teacher deficit of 98,261, a figure expected to rise further by 2026.
Macharia noted that although the government currently allocates Ksh1 billion annually for teacher promotions, the amount is insufficient to cater to the growing number of eligible educators.
According to TSC, the amount can only promote 6,000 teachers, which is far below the half a million educators needed to meet the demand.
"While we are grateful for the Ksh1 billion allocated towards teacher promotions, the amount is only sufficient to promote 6,000 teachers out of a teaching force of over 500,000. This continues to demoralize deserving teachers and affect service delivery in our schools," Macharia stated.
Meanwhile, lawmakers raised concerns regarding the equitable deployment of teachers and delays in the employment of those already registered with TSC.
Tongaren MP John Chikati questioned regional disparities in the distribution of teachers, citing cases where counties such as Kakamega continue to receive fewer teachers compared to others.
"This Committee needs clarity on why some counties are disadvantaged in teacher allocations. We must ensure fairness in teacher deployment across all regions," Chikati stated.
The MPs urged the Commission to prioritize unemployed teachers who have held TSC registration numbers for several years.
However, Macharia emphasized that teacher staffing is guided by legal frameworks, including the Curriculum-Based Establishment (CBE) and staffing norms developed for primary and junior secondary schools.
"Our staffing policy is driven by curriculum needs and national staffing norms. We have field officers mandated to oversee redeployments to ensure adherence to these guidelines," she explained.
TSC faces several challenges, including the establishment of new public schools without corresponding funding for staff recruitment, insufficient numbers of teachers trained in CBC subject areas, growing demands in hardship regions, and occasional hostility from host communities.
