Education
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and a host of leaders from Nyanza region have urged the government to urgently recruit more teachers in the region. The leaders said there was a shortage of over 3000 teachers in Homa Bay county alone.
The leaders want the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to adopt affirmative action in recruitment of teachers in Nyanza. The leaders who included Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara, Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu, Women Reps Joyce Osogo (Homa Bay) and Christine Ombaka (Siaya) said there is need to recruit skilled teachers to promote quality education in the region.
The leaders made the remarks Thursday at Kojwach Primary School in Kabobondo Kasipul Constituency during the opening of modern classrooms constructed by the area National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). Dr. Obara expressed concerns that many teachers were employed from other regions and posted to Nyanza only to thereafter apply for transfer to their home counties.
She said the situation has resulted in understaffing in many schools in Nyanza region. The leaders urged TSC to recruit teachers who were natives of Nyanza to address the situation. Obara who is a member of the Education Committee in the National Assembly expressed concerns that there are some regions in Kenya with excess teachers.
“We want more teachers employed in this region through affirmative action in teacher recruitment,” she said. Buyu urged President William Ruto to intervene and ensure employment of teachers in Nyanza on an affirmative action basis.
She said the quality of education in Nyanza will be in jeopardy if the teacher shortage persists in the region. Governor Wanga said education is an important investment which all stakeholders must prioritize. “My government has invested heavily in education and we have awarded 240 students full scholarships until they complete their university education,” Wanga said.
The Governor said they were constructing 160 Early Childhood Development Education classrooms at a cost of Sh160 million in the current financial year.