The ongoing Annual Western Region KEPSHA meeting in Kisumu has brought to light a pressing issue affecting the Kenyan education system: the severe shortage of teachers in public schools. The scarcity, KEPSHA Nairobi Regional Chairman David Omondi warns, could derail the successful realization of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Speaking at the event, Omondi sounded the alarm over the alarming teacher deficit, stressing that without urgent intervention, the goals of the CBC will remain out of reach. Effective learning and the expansion of the CBC require a sufficient number of trained educators, a challenge that is particularly acute in rural and marginalized regions.
“We cannot effectively implement CBC if the government does not urgently address the teacher shortage. The workload on the few available teachers is overwhelming,” Omondi stated.
The chairman also raised concerns about the current teacher-to-learner ratio, which he described as “unacceptably high,” making it difficult to implement the hands-on, practical learning approaches central to the CBC.
Omondi further criticized the politicization of teacher recruitment, calling for a return to a merit-based, transparent process. “Let us not politicize education. Recruitment of teachers should be done transparently and fairly, based on need and qualifications, not political allegiance,” he urged.
As the CBC enters a critical phase, education stakeholders are now calling for more investment in teacher recruitment and training to ensure that the curriculum’s objectives are fully realized. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been urged to streamline recruitment processes and ensure equitable staffing across the country.
