Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu requested the Education committee for 100 Million to train new teachers. A move that has been rejected by Parliament telling him to hire jobless teachers first.
The cabinet Secretary appeared before a parliamentary committee on education on Monday requesting approval of 100M. This was to be under a supplementary budget for the financial year 2023/24.
He was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Esther Muhoria (Technical, Vocational Education and Training – TVET) and Dr. Belio Kipsang (Basic Education). In addition to their submissions, they said that the money was meant to help in the induction and training of newly recruited Vocational and Technical Trainers (tutors). Training was needed to enhance their skills.
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The MPs opposed the submissions by the Education Officials saying we already have jobless, already trained teachers that didn’t need to be re-trained.
“There are thousands of Kenyans with degrees in various technical subjects and postgraduate diplomas in education. These are the people you need to hire when looking for tutors. There is no need to incur an extra cost in training people.” Tinderet MP Julius Melly said.
“Why should you spend such a huge amount of money on retraining the tutors? The cash should be channeled to equipping the learning institutions or any other useful venture.”
However, the MPs promised to discuss the matter with the treasury after Belio Kipsang submitted a new application. He asked for the 22 Billion more in the ministry’s budget to enhance the capitation program.
Machogu also assured the committee that his ministry will prioritise applicants with post-graduate training to avoid overspending on hiring and retraining recruits. A statement that sat well with the members.
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