Government to hire 24,000 new teachers, Education CS says

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said will employ 24,000 more teachers in the first quarter of the new financial year. [File, Standard]

The government will employ 24,000 more teachers in the first quarter of the upcoming financial year, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said.

Speaking Tuesday at Sarova Whitesands Beach Hotel in Mombasa during the opening of a retreat for public university council chairpersons, Ogamba said the move is part of efforts to strengthen the country's education system.

"We are going to use what we have and operate within it. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommends that countries allocate 20 percent of their budgets to education, but we have already allocated 28 percent. We are beyond the UNESCO standards required, and we will use the resources optimally," he said.

The CS warned head teachers against charging extra levies, saying those found culpable will be met with the full force of the law.

"We give capitation grants to schools and principals who will be found charging extra levies will be dealt with in accordance with the law," he warned.

To enhance accountability, Ogamba revealed that the government has strengthened the audit directorate of public schools to monitor the utilization of funds.

Meanwhile, he announced an ambitious plan to expand the national school feeding programme, aiming to increase the number of beneficiaries from the current 2.6 million to 10 million by 2030.

He said the government was working with partners to ensure that vulnerable students in Arid and Semi Arid Lands (Asal) and informal sectors in the municipalities get food.

"In essence, we have a programme of feeding our vulnerable children in Asal and informal sectors of municipalities. We are working with our partners to raise the number of beneficiaries from 2.6 million to 10 million by 2030," he said.

On the government directive to principals to release Kenya Certificates of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, Mr Ogamba said many students have already collected the documents and county directors of education are compiling the data.

"The certificates that remain in schools are for those who have not turned up. The directive has worked very well," he said.

Ogamba assured public university councils that the government will not interfere with their operations.

He said the retreat will discuss research and innovations, strengthening governance and issues relating to sustainable funding of public universities in line with ongoing reforms of the education sector.