The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has introduced allowances for teachers in special schools to attract and retain them in the institutions.
The revelation was made before the Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee by TSC Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) Dr Nancy Macharia.
The Committee was also informed that the Special Needs Schools in the country were facing a shortage of 5,362 teachers.
Appearing before the Committee yesterday, the Commission boss told the Adan Haji led team that Readers Facilitation or Aid allowance has been introduced for teachers who are blind, deaf, mute or those having physical disabilities.
“Special school allowances are also another incentive introduced to teachers with special education skills,” said Macharia.
“These incentives are in addition to standard allowances such as hardship and commuter among others as one way of recognising the additional challenges facing the teachers,” she added.
On the teachers’ shortage, she explained that TSC hired and deployed 1,763 teachers to schools in the month of May.
She added that in September this year, January and June next year, another 3,600 teachers will be posted to the schools.
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“Due to budget constraints the Commission has developed a phased deployment of teachers to Special needs schools to address the shortage,” she noted.
She added that the Commission had also developed and implemented a unique staffing norm for special needs education schools.
Macharia said the class size determined by the type and severity of disabilities of the learners is considered for each teacher.
“For example, the class size for mentally handicapped learners is set at four students while the class size for physically handicapped learners should have 15 students,” she added.
She added that the move is aimed at ensuring that teachers gave adequate attention to special needy learners.
“The less the number of special needs learners per teacher the better for provision of quality services,” Macharia said.
The Committee’s vice chairperson Liza Chelule who chaired the session commended the Commission for its efforts to better the welfare of teachers in special needs schools but added that there was still more needed to be done.
“The Committee visited special needs schools in parts of Coast, Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley and established that the schools and teachers operated in deplorable conditions, said Chelule.
Shinyalu MP Fred Ikana said the suffering by teachers in special schools discouraged their colleagues from seeking jobs in the institutions leading to the shortage.
By Victor Ngecho
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