NGO steps in to help schools with teacher shortage

Teach for Kenya Chief Executive Officer, Yukabeth Kidenda. [Courtesy]

An NGO has established a platform for scholars in institutions of higher learning to provide teaching services in schools facing staffing shortages.

Teach for Kenya focuses on university students pursuing various courses in local universities, offering them training before deploying them to schools in Nairobi and Kisumu.

The selected university students undergo six weeks of training before the organisation assigns them to primary schools, primarily in underprivileged areas within the two counties.

"Some students aspire to become professionals in society, and to complement that, we engage university graduates to help them achieve their full potential," said the organisation's Chief Executive Officer, Yukabeth Kidenda.

To date, the programme has had a positive impact on 23 partner schools, including Kosawo Primary School in Kisumu. In Nairobi, these schools include Marura Primary, St. HydeMarie Primary, Kwa Njenga, Beta Life, and Our Lady of Nathareth.

Kidenda said the organisation recruits graduates from various academic backgrounds at local universities.

The programme is also designed to nurture leadership skills among young individuals, forming a long-term chain that aims to produce highly competent graduates.

To highlight their roles, the organisation has arranged a summit that will gather 62 partners within the Teach for All global community.

This three-day summit will provide members with the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss the challenges encountered in such programmes.

"This marks the first occasion the conference is being held in Africa, and it offers us the opportunity to share and learn about our work, deliberate on the challenges we face, and chart our path forward," Kidenda said.

Participants will have the chance to share their experiences with the host schools and the communities as they work towards eliminating educational inequality.

Additionally, the summit will create networking opportunities for organisations that share similar objectives.

Kidenda said this is necessary as it will provide the opportunity to advocate for local solutions.

"It is important for individuals from outside our region to understand the distinctive challenges we encounter in our efforts, and to recognise the lack of resources in our context," said the CEO.

"Education inequality is an intricate issue, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. To eradicate inequality, we must collaborate."

Kidenda said it is through this approach that the organisation has intervened, ensuring that vulnerable learners are not excluded.