Ministry of Education (MoE) Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced a comprehensive overhaul of teacher recruitment and training processes in a significant move aimed at addressing the pressing issue of teacher unemployment.
Speaking on Wednesday, June 25, during the Annual Conference of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), CS Ogamba revealed the ministry’s plan to reassess how teachers’ colleges admit students, ensuring that intakes align with the actual demand for educators in the job market.
“The government, in consultation with stakeholders, will critically review pre-service admissions to teacher training colleges to match intakes with the prevailing and projected job market. This will also facilitate the absorption of around 62,000 trained but currently unemployed teachers,” the CS stated.
The initiative is expected to provide a pathway for the thousands of trained but currently unemployed teachers to be absorbed by the government.
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The ministry’s ambitious target for the next financial year is to hire at least 24,000 teachers. According to CS Ogamba, this recruitment drive will bring the total number of teachers hired over the past two years to 100,000.
Beyond teacher recruitment, the MoE is also reinforcing the infrastructural capacity of public schools. This includes the construction of additional classrooms and laboratories, a crucial step to ensure the seamless rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
“To support the effective rollout of CBE, the construction of more classes and laboratories will be fast-tracked alongside the hiring of at least 24,000 teachers within the next financial year,” the CS affirmed.
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To streamline school operations, the ministry is also scheduled to collaborate with the National Treasury to ensure the timely disbursement of capitation funds to schools. This proactive measure aims to guarantee uninterrupted educational activities across the country.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Education has issued a directive for all educational institutions to adopt electronic procurement immediately.
All government institutions are mandated to transition to e-Procurement via the e-GP portal, which was launched in March, by the July 1, 2025, deadline. CS Ogamba emphasised that this transition is vital for restoring transparency and accountability in procurement processes within educational institutions.
By Cornelius Korir
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