President William Ruto has scrapped the planned recruitment of 20,000 additional teachers this year in light of the current budgetary constraints resulting from the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024. He spoke Wednesday at the official opening of the Kimuka Power Sub-station in Kajiado West.
Budget Constraints and Recruitment Freeze
The 20,000 new teachers’ recruitment set for this year will not materialize, citing that the move follows an economic situation assessment by the government. “I had a plan to hire 20,000 teachers this year, but I am shelving it until next year when we shall see how our economy will be faring,” said Ruto. This is in reaction to the huge budget shortfall brought about by the crumbling of the Finance Bill, which created a gap of Sh346 billion.
Confirmation of Junior Secondary School Teachers
Even as the Government suspended new recruitments, President Ruto said the 46,000 JSS teachers serving as interns will indeed have their confirmation to permanent and pensionable terms as earlier arranged. The government set money aside to ensure this, sh18.3 billion for full employment for these JSS teachers. “I want to tell all JSS teachers that despite the challenges we have with the Finance Bill, we are going to make sure we will confirm them this year,” Ruto said. He assured them of job security, saying teachers should be able to teach with confidence.
Economic Reassessment and Future Plans
The suspension of the recruitment plan underscored the careful move by the government in managing its finances amid economic challenges. President William Ruto said it is not permanent and will be reviewed next year depending on the economic situation. Thus, the move seeks to balance the short-run fiscal pressures against the longer-term objective of significant teacher workforce expansion.
Impact on Education Sector
This has the implication of affecting the education sector, especially where there are shortages of teachers. However, the confirmation of JSS teachers seeks to give stability and continuity in junior secondary schools to ensure students taught by these teachers get consistent and quality education.
Expansion of Power Grid in Kajiado West
The head of state also spoke about the government’s initiative in expanding infrastructure. The Kimuka power substation he officially opened is set to hook an extra 20,000 households in Kajiado West to the power grid this year. This plan is part and parcel of the broader efforts aimed at increasing access to electricity to enable regional development.