The Ministry of Education (MoE) has employed 300 new Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) in a move aimed at strengthening curriculum implementation and improving compliance in schools across the country.
Education News has learned that the newly recruited officers are expected to be deployed within the next two weeks.
The officers will play a key role in monitoring curriculum delivery, inspecting schools, and ensuring institutions comply with education standards and safety regulations.
The recruitment comes amid concerns over a severe shortage of QASOs that has affected effective school inspections for years.
According to the Auditor General’s Performance Audit Report on Fire Safety Performance in Secondary Schools by the Ministry of Education, released in September 2020, the country had a shortage of 473 QASOs in 286 sub-counties.
At the time, only 385 officers were available against the ideal requirement of 858 officers nationwide.
The audit report linked the shortage of officers to weak fire safety preparedness in schools. QASOs are mandated to assess schools at least once every two years and conduct follow-up inspections within three to six months after issuing assessment reports.
However, the report revealed that all sampled counties had fewer than three QASOs in their sub-counties, forcing officers to collaborate across neighbouring areas due to understaffing.
The Auditor General further noted that the high number of schools requiring inspections made it practically impossible for assessments to be conducted within the recommended timelines.
In July last year, Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok criticised QASOs following a tragic incident in Turbo where a school latrine collapsed and killed students.
Bitok challenged the officers to intensify school inspections or face consequences, saying the tragedy could have been prevented if proper inspections had been carried out.
To improve operations, the government in 2024 allowed QASOs to directly access budget allocations for their programmes.
Under the arrangement, QASOs serving at the sub-county level were allocated up to KSh400,000 to facilitate their activities. Officers at the county level were allocated between KSh650,000 and KSh1.2 million, while regional offices were set to receive between KSh1 million and KSh1.5 million for operational expenses.
READ ALSO: MoE begins deployment of newly employed QASOs to regions
The Ministry of Education allocates approximately KSh300 million annually for QASO operations.
The Quality Assurance and Standards Department is mandated to conduct school assessments, investigate issues affecting learning institutions, appraise school operations, and monitor compliance with education policies and standards.
By Obegi Malack
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