Shs19.7 Billion Set Aside for Teacher Recruitment
President William Ruto has announced the allocation of Sh19.7 billion to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for teacher recruitment. This revelation was made during the Taxpayers Day celebrations in Mombasa, with the funds set to be sourced from the pending supplementary budget awaiting approval by the National Assembly.
The education sector is set to receive a substantial Sh62 billion from the supplementary budget. President Ruto highlighted a significant increase of Sh20 billion in the budget allocated to TSC due to the recruitment of additional teachers, with a total of 56,000 new teachers being added to the payroll for the current year.
Over the past year, the Kenya Kwanza administration has made commendable progress in addressing the teacher shortage, hiring 35,790 additional teachers. This includes 1,000 permanent and pensionable teachers for primary schools, while junior secondary schools gained 9,000 such teachers and 21,365 intern teachers. This marks a departure from the previous administration’s approach of hiring approximately 5,000 teachers annually.
Shs19.7 Billion Set Aside for Teacher Recruitment
President Ruto, in July, noted that the government had employed 35,000 teachers, an unprecedented number in recent history. He also expressed the aim of recruiting an additional 25,000 teachers by August to ensure access to quality education for every child in Kenya.
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With the supplementary budget, the education sector receives an additional Sh62 billion for the current fiscal year, on top of the Sh628.6 billion it had received. The Head of State emphasized the deliberate increase in the education budget, rising from Sh545 billion to Sh690 billion compared to the previous year, including the current supplementary budget, adding an extra Sh145 billion to education.
Ruto stressed that this increase is aimed at providing every child in Kenya with access to education and the opportunity for a better life. The supplementary budget also allocates Sh29.3 billion, totaling Sh157.9 billion, to the State Department for Higher Education and Research, with a focus on supporting scholarships through a new financing model.
Ruto emphasized that human capital development relies on investment, and a substantial increase of Sh48 billion is being allocated to universities, leading to the enhancement of human capital in the country.
