Education CS Magoha seeks Sh429m for staff testing
Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
The Ministry of Education has asked Parliament to allocate it Sh429 million to buy masks, soaps and sanitizers for its staff and students in Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETs) across the country.
Documents tabled before the National Assembly’s Committee on Education and Research on Tuesday indicate that part of funds will be used to test its staff and student of the deadly coronavirus so as to ascertain their safety.
Last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha formed a nine-member committee to craft a back-to-school roadmap and advise him on steps to take in a sector.
The Covid-19 Education Response Committee will be chaired by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development chairperson Sara Ruto.
Top on the agenda of the committee will be to advise the CS on the reopening of pre-primary, primary, secondary schools, teacher training colleges and adult education centres.
Magoha said Sh3.8 billion will be required for the expected increase in enrollment.
“The current allocation caters for 173,000 students against a projected enrollment of 300,000,” Magoha told the Tinderet MP Julius Melly-led committee.
Recruit trainers
An additional Sh2.8 billion will be needed to recruit additional trainers to address the current deficit of 3,674 teachers.
The ministry’s documents also details that it also needs Sh343 million for induction of newly recruited trainers and trainers transferred from Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
