The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) has called on the government to urgently address the acute shortage of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) teachers in Muslim-sponsored secondary and primary schools.
Concerns have emerged in Homa Bay County, where many schools under Islamic sponsorship lack IRE teachers. Kendu Muslim Secondary School in Rachuonyo North Sub-county, for example, has no IRE teacher employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The school’s principal, Almada Majina, said the situation is affecting many students.
“I have many IRE students, but there is no teacher posted by the TSC in our school,” Majina said.
He explained that the school’s board of management has had to hire one teacher to cover the subject across the entire school.
“We do not have an IRE teacher employed by the TSC. We have only one teacher employed by the board of management. It is our appeal to the TSC to post IRE teachers for us,” Majina added.
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SUPKEM leaders, led by their Homa Bay County Secretary Abdul Masud and Women Representative Rukia Hamisi, visited Kendu Muslim Secondary School to present gifts to the top 2025 KCSE performers and used the occasion to highlight the teacher shortage.
Masud said the lack of IRE teachers in Muslim-sponsored schools is deeply concerning.
“Many students who are Muslims like studying in Muslim-sponsored schools. But it has come to our attention that many Muslim-sponsored schools do not have IRE teachers,” he said.
He urged the government and TSC to act promptly to ensure children receive the education they deserve.
“We are appealing to the TSC to post adequate IRE teachers in Muslim-sponsored secondary and primary schools. The ongoing shortage is harming the academic future of children pursuing the subject,” Masud said.
Hamisi emphasized that the presence of IRE teachers is vital for students’ academic and career ambitions.
“There are students whose future careers lie in IRE. Failure to have teachers kills their ambitions,” she said.
She also noted that IRE teachers play a key role in promoting Islamic values in society.
“Like any other religion taught in Kenyan schools, adequate teachers of IRE will help in promoting Islamic values,” Hamisi added.