By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Some 20,000 additional teachers will be recruited by end of the next financial year.

Education minister Mutula Kilonzo said the Treasury has pledged to allocate Sh12 billion towards the process.

He said already Sh6 billion has been allocated in the supplementary budget to hire 10,000 teachers the first phase.

The minister said the Treasury pledged a similar amount in the coming budget to hire the remaining half.

This means that by next financial year, once Teachers Service commission recruits these teachers, the teacher deficit will be cut to 55,000. The current teacher gap stands at 75,000.

Kilonzo was speaking to some 2,200 secondary school student leaders gathered at Nairobi School.

He said the ministry is working hard to bridge the teacher gap and to enhance quality education.

The minister however asked other private institutions like banks and donors to help in addressing the teacher gap.

"Hiring of teachers is not an easy task. It requires a lot of resources and that means taxing, which burdens Kenyans. We ask you to come in and assist this children get quality education," he said.

According to the 2012/2013 estimates of recurrent expenditure, the ministry of education has been allocated Sh41.4 billion.

In an earlier interview, TSC said it had asked treasury to allocate Sh14.5 billion in the next financial year to hire additional teachers.

Commission secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni said once allocated, the cash will hire 40,000 teachers in a one off move.

He said the remaining deficit would then be hired in lesser bundles in the successive years.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) national chairman Wilson Sossion said more teachers were needed urgently to enhance quality education.

"We have been telling the government that they should hire at least 20,000 teachers yearly. The gap would have been bridged by now if they listened to us," he said.

Sossion said the union will not allow the government to recruit teachers on contract again and noted that the earlier more teachers are absorbed the lesser the problems in the sector becomes.

"If they hire teachers and pay them well we will not go on the streets and disrupt learning. Teachers will spend most of the time in classrooms to improve grades," he said.

Last year, teacher unions staged a nationwide strike demanding conversion of some 18,000-contract teachers to permanent basis and employment of 10,000 more. Only 5,000 more were recruited early this year. @