Teachers shortage plagues pre-unit schools

[Photo: Courtesy]

Your child may not be getting adequate attention in nursery school as a Government report reveals acute shortage of teachers at the lower learning level.

A Ministry of Education report released yesterday shows that the number of teachers available does not match the huge learner enrollment figures.

The report further reveals that pre-primary education still faces shortage of instructional and play materials, high pupil teacher ratio and inappropriate teaching methods. 

The details are contained in pre-primary education policy launched yesterday by Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of the ongoing secondary school heads meeting in Mombasa.

Dr Amina said efforts to shore up enrollment numbers has not corresponded with the number teachers needed.

“Our efforts have borne fruit as evidenced by increased enrollment in pre-primary schools from more than 2.7 million pupils in 2012 to 3.3 million in 2017,” Amina said.

She said the total enrollment for girls rose from 46.8 per cent to 53.24 per cent, whereas enrollment for boys increased from 48.2 per cent to 51.8 per cent over the same period.

“Despite this tremendous growth of pre-primary education, the sub-sector still faces challenges, including high child-teacher ratio,” said Amina.