Staffing challenges, low education standards in Kenyan Schools

By Khalwale James

 "…this district lacks about 11000 secondary school teachers and over 6000 primary school teachers. Understaffing is a serious issue", said Mr Olago.


A Kisumu Legislature has said that a drop in education performance in Kisumu town west district is caused by a deficit of over 17,000 primary and secondary school teachers translating to a heavy work load to available staff.



Students raise their colleague high after excelling in Kenya certificate of Primary examinations in Kisumu county

The Kisumu town west parliamentarian Mr Olago Aluoch joined his Kisumu town East counterpart Mr Shakeel Shabir in claims that the shortage was deteriorating performance in Kisumu region
"According to the latest statistics, this district lacks about 11000 secondary school teachers and over 6000 primary school teachers. Understaffing is a serious issue", said Mr Olago.

Hon. Olago blamed the ministry of education for failure to put in place measures to facilitate teacher hiring. He said the ministry should explain why disparities in staffing exist amongst different schools in Kenya. 

His argument was confirmed by the Kisumu municipality education committee chair Ms Naomi Odao who said that the municipality alone suffered a shortage of 406 primary school teachers but warned that this should not be attributed for poor performance in national results.

She also disclosed that the municipality was privileged to take Manyatta primary school to the South Africa world cup last year and that teachers should not deny such chances to their pupils especially those with poor academic backgrounds.

But Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) chairman Mercilinus Okweya claimed that school head teachers faced difficulties in planning for sports activities due to inadequate funding from the zonal to the provincial levels requesting that the ministry should devolve funds to help sports at lower levels.
However, complains arose over poor management of Constituency Development funds disbursed to schools when the two parliamentarians accused head teachers publicly that a lot of money was disappearing without proper accountability.
"Head teachers have led us down because they hardly account for school finances especially what CDF provides, there is a problem."

Olago Aluoch in cap

Mr Olago admitted that rural schools face more challenges than those in urban areas in terms of infrastructure and teaching facilities adding that some schools learn under trees yet others have excess classrooms in the area.

Mr Shakeel said that basic management skills should be offered to the teachers to reduce on the current demise in administration of finances. They were addressing teachers and pupils at the Kenyatta grounds in Kisumu during an academic day. 

At the occasion, the Nyanza provincial staffing officer Ms Beatrice Lugaro emphasized on poor financial management in schools and acute shortage of teachers in Nyanza province. She warned teachers against sexually molesting their pupils saying that these not only attracted criminal charges in court of law, but also opened way for sacking of such teachers.

 "Through TSC, we sent a circular to all schools in the province addressing the protection of children against sexual abuse and penalties to its effect." She said.

The central Provincial director of education Mr Patrick Nyagosia said that teachers and school heads collaborate to protect criminals of sexual abuse who are their staff mates adding that t6hat is acting against ethical expectations.

Kisumu municipality has recorded a pretty performance in KCPE examinations in Nyanza province and nationally. With over 30 primary schools and over 6000 candidates last year, the municipality secured position 29 nationally and one in Nyanza province and over 64% of the pupils joining national, provincial and district secondary schools. Golden Elites escaped with many awards for outstanding performance in the municipality with a mean score of 372.72 in 2009's KCPE results.