By VITALIS KIMUTAI
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers ( Kuppet) wants the government to employee 80,000 teachers.
Mr Ronald Tonui, Kuppetâs national deputy treasurer said the pledge by the government to employ 40,000 teachers would be a drop in the ocean.
Tonui said, "We cannot afford to be talking of teacher shortages over the years yet the government is not acting on this matter. With free primary education and subsidised secondary education, we have seen the highest number of enrolment in schools yet there are no teachers to match the increase,"
Tonui who was flanked by Mr Edward Obwocha the unionâs secretary in charge of secondary schools said that teacher shortage has compromised quality of education in public schools.
Obwocha said that Members of Parliament through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) kitty had put up many schools where students had been enrolled but the government was yet to post teachers to the institutions.
Untrained teachers
"We have many cases where the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) only post a Principal to new schools and the Board of Governors are forced to employ untrained teachers to handle the curriculum and avoid closure of the institutions," Obwocha said.
They said that the terms of service for teachers ought to be improved so as to retain them in service as many were leaving for greener pastures.
"Many teachers have been leaving service for other well paying jobs because of poor pay ," Tonui stated.
Tonui and Obwocha criticised the government for dragging its feet on paying commuter allowances for teachers who are members of the union.
