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President William Ruto has dismissed claims that the education sector is in crisis.
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He argues that increased funding, teacher recruitment, and ongoing reforms have strengthened the sector.
By Frank Mugwe
President William Ruto has rejected allegations by some stakeholders that the education sector is in crisis, arguing that enhanced funding, large-scale teacher recruitment and ongoing reforms have strengthened the sector and positioned it on a stable path.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during a meeting with grassroots leaders from Marsabit County, President Ruto said the education sector continues to receive the largest share of government funding, reflecting the administration’s commitment to expanding access and enhancing the quality of education.
He highlighted his administration’s teacher recruitment drive as proof that the sector is progressing in the right direction.
“There’s no government that has hired 100,000 teachers in three years since independence. In other words, of the 400,000 teachers we have in the country, we employed a quarter of them in the last three years,” said the Head of State.
The President also pointed out the review of the higher education funding model and the construction of thousands of new classrooms to support the rollout and transition to Competency-Based Education (CBE).
“This consistency is because we understand that education is the great equaliser and no child should be discriminated against in accessing it,” he said.
Ruto further mentioned that the former Competency-Based Curriculum has since been restructured into Competency-Based Education, with ongoing reforms designed to improve learning outcomes and better align the system with labour market demands.
He also pointed out the increased funding for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and universities, saying the measures are intended to support students transitioning into tertiary education.
“Sometimes you hear some people saying there is a crisis in education. You wonder, how is there a crisis in education today when we have hired 100,000 teachers, when we have increased funding and built 23,000 classrooms?” he asked.
The President’s remarks come against the backdrop of continued debate over education financing, shortages of teachers, university funding challenges, and the rollout of reforms across the sector.
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