TSC has changed its employment method as it prepares to hire teachers for CBE Senior School in Kenya. Technology(B.Ed. Tech) degrees will be given priority when hiring for these teaching positions, especially within the STEM pathway.
NEW STRATEGY ADOPTED
Dr Reuben Nthamburi, TSC Director of Quality Assurance, announced this strategy change because the new curriculum places emphasis on the teaching of practical skills, technical competence and applied learning. Therefore, B.Ed. Tech teachers are considered to be well qualified to teach the specialised subject matter that will be taught in the STEM pathway at CBE Senior School.
Many B.Ed. Tech graduates have had difficulty finding work in the teaching profession despite the increasing demand for technology skills in schools. As the TSC moves forward with implementing the CBE Senior School pathways, they now believe that B.Ed. Tech graduates will be essential in the successful implementation of the STEM pathway.
According to TSC, an estimated 60% of the 1.1 million learners expected to attend CBE Senior School will be entering the STEM pathway. It is estimated that there are currently more than 677,000 students requiring approximately 35,000 teachers to cover more than 15,000 courses. Conversely, the social sciences and arts and sports pathways will need far fewer teachers.
PRIORITY
Although technical graduates have been prioritised, TSC has recognised there is a significant amount of teacher unemployment, particularly in the humanities subjects. Dr Nthamburi indicated many applicants for positions in history and Christian religious education, suggesting a discrepancy between the training of prospective teachers and the needs of the labour market, and called upon universities and colleges of education to synchronise their syllabuses/programmes with the national staffing requirements.
Despite having a roster of over 900,000 registered teachers, TSC employs less than half of that number. Numerous still-unemployed teachers, particularly teachers older than 45 years old, continue to have no placements. As a result, the commission is developing a framework to support the recruitment of Kenyan teachers to teach abroad.
Public school systems also continue to face teacher shortages and therefore are forced to employ teachers through the Board of Management, who are funded by parents. TSC maintains that the successful alignment of teacher recruitment processes with the requirements of CBE will significantly assist in resolving both the problem of teacher unemployment and the long-standing issue of teacher shortages within public schools.