The Ministry of Education (MoE) has issued clear standards governing the recruitment of Non‑Teaching Staff (NTS) in senior schools, tying staffing levels to each school’s category and the number of streams in operation.
These guidelines are designed to promote efficient service delivery, accountability, and uniformity across public institutions as the Competency-Based Curriculum rolls out at the senior school level.
Under the framework, public day senior schools will engage fewer non‑teaching staff due to their comparatively lower operational demands.
Schools without boarding facilities are expected to retain only essential personnel; secretaries, laboratory technicians, ICT technicians, librarians, messengers, storekeepers and grounds staff, scaled in line with the number of streams.
Small day schools with one or two streams will operate with minimal teams, while larger day schools with up to ten streams are allowed modest increases to support administration and learning facilities.
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Boarding senior schools are allocated significantly higher staffing levels to meet expanded welfare and operational needs. In addition to the basic roles found in day schools, boarding institutions are required to hire nurses, matrons, caterers, cooks, and farmhands to support health, nutrition, and residential care.
The Ministry notes that the presence of boarding facilities substantially raises operational requirements, and large boarding schools with many streams are permitted substantial increases to maintain hygiene, health services, food provision and security.
The Ministry emphasised that the staffing limits are needs‑based rather than arbitrary, and Boards of Management must adhere strictly to the approved thresholds when hiring non‑teaching staff. Overstaffing may attract audit queries and strain budgets, while understaffing risks compromising safety, health standards and effective school management.
By Philip Koech
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