As of December 2023, 2,060 PhD and Masters holders are working as primary school teachers.
The data shows that of the 2,060, male are 889 and 1,171 are female. This is according to the Economic Survey 2024 by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released yesterday.
This data shows that there is an increase from previous years since 2022, the number was 2,047 while in 2021, Masters and Doctorates teaching in primary schools were 1,987.
“There was a 0.8 per cent (year-by-year) decrease in the total number of public primary teachers from 221,510 in 2022 to 219,727 in 2023. This decline is partly attributed to factors such as retirement, disciplinary action, study leave, and natural attrition,” the survey by KNBS adds.
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Those holding certificates accounted for the majority of primary school teachers at 67.6 per cent in 2023.
The data contained in the Economic Survey 2024 also showed that 6,224 Masters and PhD holders work as secondary school tutors with 3,343 being male and 2,881 female. This is an increase from 5,822 in 2022.
The teachers’ unions are currently urging the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to offer promotions to the professionals with higher academic accolades. The TSC responded saying that it promotes teachers according to its Career Progression Guidelines.
At the end of the 12th Parliament in 2022, Members of Parliament, in a report, instructed the TSC to engage in negotiations with the unions to safeguard the rights of teachers who had acquired them during their in-service tenure.
According to the report, promotions would align with the 1966 UNESCO/ILO recommendations that define the intellectual rights of teachers who participate in relevant in-service courses.
By Frank Mugwe
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