The recent scramble for teaching positions advertised by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has exposed the alarming unemployment crisis in Kenya, especially among teachers, Commission CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia has said.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education on October 23, 2024, Dr. Macharia confirmed that a whopping 314,117 applicants vied for the 46,000 vacancies for Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers.
She noted that the application window, which closed on October 8, highlighted the severe job shortage despite the significant demand for educators.
Dr. Macharia acknowledged the gravity of the crisis, emphasizing a critical shortage of science teachers, which has compounded the situation. While the TSC portal overflowed with applications, the Commission admitted that there was a worrying imbalance, as most aspiring teachers preferred teaching arts rather than sciences.
During the parliamentary session, MPs questioned the TSC’s strategy to address the issue, expressing concern over the growing demand for teaching jobs amidst an acute shortage of science educators.
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Dr. Macharia noted that the Commission has been investigating solutions, including redistributing teachers to create balance, aiming to recruit 20,000 additional educators by January 2025.
She disclosed that Kenya has over 400,000 unemployed teachers, a figure worsened by government budget cuts.
The CEO said that TSC has repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Education to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to resolve the science teacher shortage, but the issue remains inadequately addressed.
Dr. Macharia’s admission of the crisis highlights the need for a dialogue on the education sector’s long-standing issues and possible reforms to meet the country’s educational demands.
By Jane Riana
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