To alleviate shortages in junior secondary schools, the government has said that it will hire 20,000 intern teachers starting this October till January of next year.
The government has set aside Kshs 2.4 billion to facilitate the employment of new interns as part of efforts to address the nation’s teacher shortage.
This comes after President Ruto announced during the May 1 Labour Day celebration that the government plans to hire 20,000 new interns.
In the past two years, we have hired almost 76,000 teachers, and we have already set aside Ksh 2.4 billion to hire 20,000 more intern teachers.
This is a component of our larger strategy to guarantee that all children, regardless of where they reside, have access to high-quality education,” Ruto stated.
The President also said the government has also allocated Ksh 1.6 billion for teacher capacity building and Ksh 1 billion for promotion in order to complement the recruitment drive.
“These investments are not just numbers on budget line, they mean better student-teacher ratios, enhanced literacy and numeracy, and stable dignified jobs,” Dr Ruto added.
He said the teachers will be deployed to junior secondary schools that experience shortages.
The President’s pronouncements was well received by Education stakeholders with Kenya National unions of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General Collins Oyuu saying the decision is a step in the right direction.
“The idea is worthwhile, but we also urge that these interns be quickly transitioned into permanent and pensionable terms,” Oyuu said.
The Knut boss also pointed out that some politicians allied to the government have been accused of dishing out teacher employment letters in rallies and funerals, condemned the act and warned them against interfering with the teachers’ recruitment process which frequently lead to sidelining of qualified teachers in favor of new graduates.