Photo: Salaton Njau/The Nation Nairobi — The government has set aside Sh5 billion for the recruitment of additional teachers for primary and secondary schools.
While reading the 2018/2019 budget in Parliament on Thursday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich stated that the initiative is expected to increase the teacher-student ratio.
"To increase the student to teacher ratio, I have set aside Sh5 billion for the recruitment of additional teachers," he stated.
Early this year, the Teachers Service Commission absolved itself from blame over the shortage of teachers in the country, instead blaming the Treasury for not releasing funds required to hire additional teachers.
The commission had noted that it needs to hire 68,000 interns at a cost of Sh16 billion, and 12,696 trained teachers, to ensure 100 per cent rate of student transition.
The body's Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia had stated that the commission was overwhelmed because it has only 312,060 teachers but is unable to hire 291,635 for lack of funds.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Wilson Sossion had expressed concern that the teacher-student ratio in Kenya worsens every year.
He said it has worsened from 1:35 to 1:50.
