By Angatia Leonard 
Written by Joy Christine
Teachers service commission CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia was put to task by the constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) to explain why there is unfair distribution of teachers’ postage to some quarter of the country?
The lawmakers raised concerns regarding the equitable deployment of teachers and delays in employment of those already registered by the Commission.
𝗛𝗼𝗻. 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗶 (Tongaren) questioned regional disparities in the distribution of teachers, citing cases where counties such as Bungoma, Kakamega,Trans Nzoia,Busia and Vihiga continue to receive less 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,” 𝐇𝐨𝐧. 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢 stated.
This arose due to public outcry in the recent teachers’ promotion which appeared marginalised and could not follow the TSC due process in the issuance of letters.
Macharia on the other hand gave her assurance that she ensures all teachers allocation and replacement are done in an equity manner and that she will leave office a happy citizen due to the transparency brought at TSC during her tenure.
In a rejoinder, TSC CEO highlights the commission’s main challenge in the hiring process
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is grappling with a shortage of teachers standing currently at a deficit of 98,000. The shortage affects both primary and secondary schools with the latter bearing the brunt due to the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) meaning additional teachers required.
TSC EO Nancy Macharia shared to the commission that they have been unable to recruit sufficient staff due to underfunding. According to TSC reports, public schools need an additional 42,000 teachers in primary school and over 56,000 in secondary schools.
” We have never reached the optimal number of teachers since the inception of the commission. The shortage is not just about numbers, it is about capacity,” put Macharia adding that they lack qualified teachers for the new learning areas introduced under CBC.
Though, she expressed gratitude for the Ksh 1 billion allocated towards teacher promotions, which is only sufficient to promote 6000 teachers out of the required 500,000.
The implication is that thousands of graduates who were hopeful to land employment with TSC will now have to wait longer as the commission admitted it is currently lacking adequate budgetary allocation to fund its activities.
CBC has introduced new subjects like marine and fisheries technology, general science, woodwork, indigenous languages and digital literacy which require teachers with specialized training whose number is currently very low. Apart from recruitment, thousands of teachers continue to stagnate in the same job group for years leading to frustration with many feeling undervalued and demotivated.
According to TSC as of December 2024, over 200,000 teachers had served more than three years in the same job group and were qualified for promotion but due to funding limitations they were yet to benefit from career advancement opportunities.
” TSC has tried to bridge the gap by hiring educators on internship terms. However, the numbers are still insufficient compared to the rising demand. The shortage is particularly severe in arid and semi- arid lands (ASALs). These regions often experience higher student-to-teacher ratio, poor infrastructure and lack of essential resources which doesn’t attract and retaining of teachers from elsewhere,” implied Macharia.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and other education stakeholders have urged the government to increase TSC’s budget so as to facilitate large-scale recruitment. There should also be coordination between county governments, Ministry of Education and school sponsors to ensure that new schools are only established with clear staffing provisions. TSC is also currently working on digitalizing its promotion system to ensure there is no favoritism and that career growth is based on merit and performance.
Investing in the education workforce is not only a solution to current challenges but also long-term investment in the country’s socio-economic development.
By Joy Christine
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