President William Ruto has advised lawmakers to refrain from participating in teacher recruitment.
Ruto remarked yesterday at the Kimalel Goat Auction in Baringo that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should be allowed to run the exercise without political influence.
Ruto advises politicians not to meddle in teacher recruitment
"I'm pushing our MPs to allow us to handle the teachers' shortage. "Let us not introduce too many distractions," he said. The administration posted 35,500 teaching positions in primary and secondary schools earlier this month.
Despite the hoopla, Kenya Kwanza sees the glass as half-empty. However, several politicians attempted to influence the recruitment process to gain political advantage.
"Every class requires a teacher. That is the equation. Let TSC and the ministry work on statistics to ensure that every Grade Seven class has a teacher," Ruto added.
He stated that incorporating many variables in the recruitment process was inappropriate since it would influence the youngsters who needed the teachers.
"Children are emotional. Let us refrain from introducing too many variables. I do, however, appreciate the MPs for requesting an extension (of the deadline).
"Please, everyone else, give TSC some space," he said. TSC granted MPs' request to extend the application deadline, which had been set for December 16, by 14 days.
The president stated that the administration will announce further vacancies once the current shortage is rectified." Unfortunately, there has been a significant gap, which our initial batch of 30,000 teachers attempts to fill.
Some schools presently have up to ten vacancies. "After we close this gap, we will begin to hire more," he stated.
Ruto also stated that the government would build 30,500 classrooms in primary schools to guarantee a smooth transition for Grade Six students who took the national exam this month.
He stated that the choice to accommodate junior secondary students in primary schools was made to reduce the load on parents. "We don't want the kids to be separated from their parents. We do not want parents to incur financial losses.
"The price has to be affordable for parents," he says. At the auction, about 2,500 goats were traded. The goat auction returned for the first time after a two-year hiatus that followed the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.
According to Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, water scarcity is a source of frustration for many farmers in the county, the bulk of whom are pastoralists.
"What we look forward to in the county is water sufficiency. "We are confident that more collaborations will be formed to bridge the gap in these industries," Cheboi said.
