TSC’s Plan to Recruit 3,600 Teachers for Special Needs Education

TSC’s Plan to Recruit 3,600 Teachers for Special Needs Education

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has outlined a plan to recruit 3,600 teachers for Special Needs Education (SNE) centers over three phases.

This move is aimed at addressing the critical shortage of educators in these institutions, a challenge that has been exacerbated by the transfer of some teachers to regular schools, where career progression opportunities are more promising.

Current Recruitment Status

TSC has already recruited and posted 1,763 teachers to special schools as part of the ongoing effort to address this shortage.

The remaining batch of 3,600 teachers will be recruited and deployed in three phases—September 2024, January 2025, and June 2025.

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TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia explained that budgetary constraints have necessitated this phased approach.

During her appearance before the National Assembly’s Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee, led by Adan Haji, Macharia emphasized the gravity of the situation, revealing that special schools in the country currently face a shortage of 5,362 teachers.

Unique Staffing Norms for Special Schools

The commission has also developed and implemented a unique staffing norm for special schools.

Class sizes in these schools are determined by the nature and severity of the learners’ disabilities, ensuring that each teacher’s workload is appropriate for the needs of their students. For instance:

• The class size for learners with intellectual disabilities is set at four students per teacher.
• The class size for learners with physical disabilities is capped at 15 students per teacher.

This approach is designed to ensure that teachers can provide adequate attention to students with special needs, as Ms. Macharia pointed out that smaller class sizes are crucial for delivering quality education to these learners.

Agreement with Kusnet

The decision to recruit these teachers was reached during a meeting held in Naivasha last year, where the TSC and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) agreed on the recruitment plan.

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The phased deployment is a key part of this agreement, ensuring that the shortage of teachers in special needs schools is addressed systematically despite financial constraints.

TSC’s Plan to Recruit 3,600 Teachers for Special Needs Education

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