Kenya's education sector is grappling with a critical shortage of science teachers, despite a pool of over 400,000 unemployed educators, the majority of whom are trained in arts disciplines.
This has raised alarms within the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which has warned that the imbalance threatens to disrupt learning, particularly in science subjects.
During a session with the National Assembly Education Committee, TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia highlighted the challenge, noting that despite efforts to recruit more teachers, budget constraints and a skewed supply of arts-trained graduates have hindered the filling of critical science positions.
"We have informed the Ministry of Education and universities that we face a serious shortage of science teachers. Even before the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was introduced, we would advertise positions for physics teachers across the country but receive no applicants. We've issued advisories on this repeatedly," Macharia explained.
Macharia further warned that staffing inadequacies are set to persist, particularly in Junior Secondary Schools, where a clear policy framework for teacher distribution is lacking. "Our data shows that the majority of unemployed teachers are arts graduates. This imbalance is something we must address urgently," she added.
The recently recruited 46,000 intern teachers, Macharia revealed, are also predominantly arts-based, leaving science subjects underserved. "I acknowledge the teacher shortage crisis. Despite ongoing recruitment efforts, physics and other science positions remain unfilled," she said.
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In response to questions from MPs, including Tindiret MP Julius Melly and Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich, who expressed concerns about the impact of the shortage on the quality of education, Macharia outlined plans to prioritize the recruitment of science teachers in the upcoming hiring of 20,000 new educators.
Kasipul Kabondo MP Eve Obara voiced concerns about arts-trained teachers being forced to teach science subjects, a practice that, she argued, compromises students' education. "In some schools, arts teachers are teaching science by merely reading from textbooks. This cannot be effective," Obara said.
To mitigate the crisis, Macharia announced that the TSC plans to redistribute existing science teachers within counties to address the shortages in schools. "Where one school has more than enough science teachers, we will share them with those facing deficits. However, our biggest challenge remains budgetary," she concluded.
The committee urged the TSC to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the science teacher shortage and ensure that students across the country receive quality education in all disciplines.
