Mandera pupils risk illiteracy due to teacher shortage
By Alvin.Mwangi, January 20, 2023Leaders in Mandera county have warned that the teacher shortage in the region will lead to a generation of uneducated children in the region.
Speaking yesterday, the leaders said the region currently has a shortfall of over 1500 teachers.
“Next week we are opening schools but in Mandera we don’t have teachers. We have schools which have a population of over 500 learners yet there are only two teachers. At the same time, we are even worried how the Junior Secondary School will be rolled out,” said Mandera South MP Abdul Kore.
Delocalisation policy
Kore said the region is even likely to suffer more with the recent repeal of the delocalisation policy.
“We expect a mass exodus of teachers. Almost most of the teachers we know will apply to go back to their home county. As a region, this is a big blow for us and we are worried that radicalisation will even increase because our young people will be idle,” he said.
The legislators at the same time appealed to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to review the entry grades for teacher trainees.
He pointed out that the requirement for diploma trainees to at least have a grade C in both languages was hurting the region because most students from the region struggle to even complete secondary school studies.