The government through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) aims to recruit more than 111,000 teachers to be able to bridge the gaping deficit towards implementing the competency based curriculum (CBC) introduced by the previous Jubilee administration.
Speaking during the launch of TSC’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027 in Nairobi’s Kenya School of Government, Commission Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia also said that in the Strategic Plan, the Commission decided to change the corporate vision statement to suit teachers, whom she termed their greatest stakeholders.
While acknowledging the amount of money allocated to the Commission this Financial Year for recruitment of intern teachers, Macharia however, said the Commission still needs additional resources.
“During the five-year plan period, we project to recruit a total of 111,870 teachers. I am happy to report that, in this Financial Year, the TSC has been allocated Sh4.68 billion for the recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers. For the successful implementation of this Plan over the next five years, the Commission will require an additional budget of Sh134,493,190,000.” Macharia said.
“In the Strategic Plan 2023-2027, we have taken keen interest on the welfare of our main stakeholders who are teachers who ultimately shape learners’ lives.” Said Macharia.
“To enable us to serve our clients better, we have changed our corporate vision statement to: ‘A motivated, ethical and globally competitive teacher’ and mission statement to: ‘To regulate, maintain and manage the teaching service through sound policies and operational excellence for quality teaching and lifelong learning.’”
Emphasizing that the teacher is the focus of the new five-year strategy, Macharia said the main strategic focus areas highlighted in the new roadmap are a testament to the direction the Commission is taking.
The Strategic Plan launched today spells out three strategic focus areas as Quality Teaching Service and Curriculum Implementation; Service Delivery Re-engineering and Innovation; and Institutional Capacity and Corporate Governance, with each pillar containing clearly spelt out approaches whose full implementation will facilitate the transformation of lives in Kenya.
Taking stock of achievements from the previous 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, Macharia highlighted a number of firsts the Commission was able to achieve including, but not limited to, developing a Policy framework for entry requirements to teaching service under which all principals and tutors from Teacher Training Colleges and Deans from 60 universities were sensitized on the Legal and Policy framework on teaching standards; developing a teacher induction, mentorship and coaching Policy to institutionalize the induction, mentorship, and coaching programme through which a total of 56,519 teachers have been sensitized; and reviewing the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) tool, a system which enhanced teacher performance as demonstrated through increased teacher-learner contact time, lesson preparation, time management, and use of teaching and learning materials.
Others are Implementation of the teacher internship policy and guidelines that has seen the Commission engage 54,300 teacher interns over the 5-year period; retooling 229,000 primary school teachers and 55,125 secondary teachers on the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), bringing the total number of teachers retooled for the implementation of the CBC to 82% of the total number of teachers employed by the Commission; automation of the TSC processes including digitizing of employee records using the Electronic Document Management System where all the secretariat files and 92% of the teachers’ files were digitized; and developing a Performance Recognition, Reward and Sanction policy for secretariat staff and teachers.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who was the chief guest, said the government recognized the critical role teachers played in molding young minds into responsible citizens.
Mudavadi said that the country expected teachers to be able to generate badly needed foreign exchange for the growth of the economy.
He encouraged teachers to engage and consider exporting their services to other countries so as to stand a chance to earn the country foreign currency.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on his part, underscored the immense role teachers of Kenya carried in ensuring the mitigation of the treat of climate change.