TSC fails to meet target in Mandera teachers recruitment

 

 

Only seven secondary school teachers have been recruited in Mandera County, out of the 200 required following refusal by non-local tutors to return to the area citing insecurity.
“It is up to the secondary schools’ management boards to recruit teachers as per their subject combinations but from our records only seven teachers have been approved in the whole county where 200 are needed,” acting Mandera County Teachers Service Commission director, Hussein Hassan, said.
Half of the 400 posts advertised for primary school teachers have however been filled.
He said TSC has recorded a below average achievement in the ongoing teachers recruitment to fill the gap left by a boycott of the area by non-local tutors.
Speaking at the TSC county offices in Mandera Town, Mr Hassan said other secondary schools were still carrying out interviews for teachers to be recruited adding that the form four leavers hired by the county government were also doing a good job.
FORM FOUR LEAVERS TEACHING
“The form four leavers are still offering services in most secondary schools as we try to fill the gap of 200 teachers mostly in science subjects, mathematics and Kiswahili,” said Mr Hassan.
TSC advertised for 412 vacancies for primary school teachers in February.
Mr Hassan said only 213 had been approved and forwarded to Nairobi after a week of interviews.
“In primary schools we have approved 213 teachers and forwarded the list to our headquarters in Nairobi but there is still a gap that we are hoping it shall be filled as time goes,” said Mr Hassan.
He said many who had applied for the teaching jobs were from other parts of the country while a few were locals.
“We are still getting calls from other willing trained teachers saying they are on their way coming for the slots and by this morning (Monday) we have received three teachers from Embu, Meru and Kitui,” said Mr Hassan.
The teachers’ boycott due insecurity after the 2014 terror attacks that left 64 people dead in two different incidents, has forced the county government to hire 260 Form Four leavers for its 188 Primary and 44 Secondary schools.
“We still have problems despite having hired Form Four leavers to teach in our schools since 520 teachers are still away.
In some schools we only have headteachers present,” said Mandera County executive for Education Mrs Johora Mohamed.
She was speaking during a prize giving day on Sunday at El Rhamu Primary School in Mandera South Sub County.
NO TIME FOR POLITICS
Speaking at the same function, Mandera Governor Ali Roba said there was no time to politic about the education situation in the county.
He said every individual has to commit themselves to improving the poor results which have been witnessed for seven consecutive years.
“With me as the governor, there is no time to politicise education in Mandera.
“We will employ our own teachers then sort out the issue with TSC later as our children learn,” adds Mr Roba.
Mr Roba said his government would sponsor any student who performed well in the just released Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) exam who wishes to study education or any health-related course.
“We have almost 400 students who scored above C minus and we shall pay their fees to train as teachers and health workers so that we don’t find ourselves in such a situation in the future,” he said.
Most teachers and health workers in Mandera are non-locals and according to Mr Roba, training locals in these fields would be a good option.

Source: Nation.co.ke