Volunteer teachers will be hired June next year, says Deputy President William Ruto

The Government will hire volunteer teachers next June and pay examination fees for all candidates in public schools next year, Deputy President William Ruto has said.

Mr Ruto said volunteers would be paid yet-to-be-agreed allowances as the Government looks to increase the teacher-pupil contact time that he revealed was the worst compared to neighbouring countries.

He said volunteers would be posted to schools that are worst hit by teacher shortages and would be hired for between six and nine months, adding that there should be a clear arrangement with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) to diffuse future conflict over their terms of service.

The DP said the Government would soon hold talks with Knut to put in place the modalities of hiring volunteer teachers.

Ruto said the Government had set aside Sh4 billion to pay registration fees for candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams next year.

He reiterated the Government's stand against holiday tuition and the withholding of students' certificates.

Speaking Tuesday at the ongoing head teachers' conference at Sheikh Zayed Children Centre in Mombasa, Ruto warned that any head teacher who defied the directives would be punished.

"We can't allow Kenyan children to be punished because the parents or the Government has not met their responsibility of paying fees. I ask you to adhere to all Government directives," said Ruto.

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion has in the past asked teachers to ignore the directive to release certificates, saying "it was inconsequential because teachers were not consulted".

Sossion had called on the Government to meet the union over the directive, warning that it may encourage parents not to pay fees.

"We are not telling parents not to pay fees because that is their responsibility. However, if we keep withholding the certificates of students who have fees arrears, then those who will suffer are children of the poor," Ruto told the over 10,000 primary schools heads in Mombasa.

The Deputy President also directed the Cabinet secretaries for Education and Treasury to make sure that allocations for both free secondary and primary education were dispatched before schools reopen next term.

He said tenders for the construction of 60 tertiary institutions would be advertised today and 100 more would be constructed in the next financial year to create opportunities for students who do not get a chance to join university.

"Almost half the children in this country do not join college. We do not only want to erect middle-level colleges to accommodate them but have also taken a Bill to Parliament that will see those with talent recognised," said the DP.

Tuesday, the Knut Secretary General echoed the concerns of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (Kepsha) that many school have been unable to pay suppliers and other support staff due to delays in disbursement of the allocation.

"Delays in the wiring of free primary and secondary schools money by the Government has left head teachers with huge debts. We can't talk of quality education with no money and huge teacher shortages," said Sossion.

He said the deficit of teachers in the country had hit 100,000 and that the 5,000 replacements and 5,000 new employment planned by the Government in this financial year would not be enough.

Sosion alleged that there was a plan by the Government to issue a circular banning the annual teachers' conference under the pretext that it was a waste of funds.