Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has received the lion’s share in the education sector for the 2022/23 Financial Year in the recently released budget policy statement which awaits parliamentary approval.
According to the Draft 2022 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) prepared by the National Treasury and Planning Cabinet Secretary Amb. Ukur Yatani dated November 11, 2021, the commission’s allocation has increased from the current Shs 281.7 billion to Shs 296.6billion, an increase of Shs 14.9 billion.
According to the BPS, Teacher Resource Management has been allocated Shs 288.4 billion from the current Shs 273.2 billion, an increase in Shs 15.2 billion.
Current expenses under this category will receive a boost of Shs 14.7 billion to Shs 287.3 billion from the current allocation of Shs 272.6 billion in this 2021/22 FY while capital expenses will receive no additional funding from the current Shs 60 million.
The increased funding under Teacher Resource Management implies that the commission is set to recruit more teachers and also cater for an increment of teachers’ salaries.
This year, citing hard economic times, the commission offered teachers through their unions a non-monetary 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which maintained teachers’ annual salary increment.
On the other hand, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) announced a two-year freeze on civil servants’ pay rise in July this year.
“TSC is determined to see that teachers are properly staffed. It is working with Ministry of Education to ensure enough teachers are provided by recruiting 5,000 teachers every year and also by engaging intern teachers,” reads a section of the policy.
According to the Commission’s data as at 2018, a total of 28,843 teachers had been recruited, with 8,390 teachers in primary schools and 20,453 teachers in secondary schools. The commission projected a shortage of 97,826 teachers (36,155 in primary and 61,671 in secondary) this year, 97,214 teachers (35,543 in primary and 61,671 in secondary) and 96,612 teachers (34,941 primary teachers and 61,671 secondary teachers) in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
According to Economic Survey report, the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) in primary schools improved from 104.4 per cent in 2018 to 100.2 per cent in 2019 and then reduced to 99.6 per cent in 2020.
Enrolment of special needs pupils increased from 121,392 in Financial year 2018/19 to 136,081 in Financial year 2019/20 and dropped to 132,466 in Financial year 2020/21 and a total of 8,592,810 pupils received capitation under the free primary education programme in Financial Year 2020/21.
The number of students enrolled in Public Secondary Schools increased from 2,954,330 in 2018/19 to 3,289,885 in FY 2020/21. The GER for secondary education increased from 70.3 per cent in 2018 to 71.2 per cent in 2019.
On governance and standards, the Commission has been allocated Shs 1.1 billion from Shs 1.0 billion in the current financial year.
The increase was in form of current expenses which include logistics like Teacher Performance and Appraisal Development (TPAD) and Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) training for teachers among others.
The Commission’s current expenditures on its general administration, planning and support services will reduce by Sh 478.2 million (Sh.478, 200,000) to Sh. 6.9 billion (Sh. 6,934,000,000) from the current allocation of Sh. 7.4 billion (Sh.7, 412,200,000) in the 2022/23 FY while Capital expenditure will receive a boost after its allocation was increased by Shs 10.9 million rising to Shs 56.0 million from the current allocation of Shs 45.1 million.
According to the BPS, the education sector has been allocated Sh.525.9 billion, Sh.539.9 billion and Sh. 558.4 billion in the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively