TSC challenges Awaiting CS Ezekiel Machogu as He Takes Oath of Office
TSC challenges Awaiting CS Ezekiel Machogu as He Takes Oath of Office
- New Education Cabinet secretary Ezekiel Machogu took the oath of office in a ceremony presided over by President William Ruto
- Machogu will now be in charge of the education sector, which is faced with a lot of challenges
- The ongoing review of the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum, as promised by the president, is among the issues awaiting him
- On Thursday, October 27, President William Ruto presided over the swearing-in ceremony of his inaugural Cabinet.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu at State House Nairobi, during swearing-in. Photo: Ezekiel Machogu, who was nominated for the education Ministry, was among the 24 Cabinet members who took their oath of office.
Taking to Twitter, Machogu, who lost in the Kisii gubernatorial race, thanked President Ruto on the appointment, promising to deliver on the tasks awaiting him.
“Thank you so much, President William Ruto and DP Rigathi Gachagua, for the raise. It’s exciting to be recognized for my hard work and dedication this way, and it empowers and encourages me to do my best for Kenyans. God bless you,” Machogu said.
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However, his celebration might be short-lived as the education sector has a lot of challenges that require immediate interventions.
Competency-Based Curriculum reforms
Challenges around implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) are some of the main issues awaiting Machogu in his new docket.
CBC, which is in its sixth year of implementation, has elicited much debate on its implementation as some parents have termed the system too expensive and burdensome.
President Ruto has already established the taskforce intending to seek ways to streamline the implementation of CBC.
Teacher shortages
Teacher shortage in the country is something the new Education CS cannot run away from.
According to previous reports by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the teacher shortage in both primary and secondary schools is slightly above 100,000
Recently, the head of state said his government was planning to employ 30,000 teachers in the first phase as they plan to absorb more than 116,000 teachers
- Poor infrastructureThe 100% transition from primary to secondary has posed alot of challenges to many schools that do not have enough infrastructure to accommodate the number of students.
Poor infrastructural development has seen many schools witness congestion, contributing to low education quality.
Underfunding in public universities
Public universities across the country have been crying about decreased funding from the national government.
Most of them are on the verge of collapse due to the many debts they have accrued by budget cuts. For instance, in 2021, the institutions posted a deficit of KSh 6.2 billion.
Masibo Lumala, a senior lecturer at Moi University, opined that the new Education CS will have to deal with the issue of underfunding in public universities.
“Universities are underfunded! And this will pose a big challenge to Ezekiel Machogu as he comes in as the new Education CS. He will also need to deal with CBC issues,” Masibo said.
Protest against delocalisation of teachers
The Teachers Service Commission is under pressure to scrap the delocalisation policy where teachers are expected to be posted to schools away from their counties.
Teachers’ unions have protested the police saying it has contributed to broken marriages, especially to young families.
Already there is a motion in the National Assembly sponsored by Lurambi MP Titus Khamala, which seeks to compel the TSC to reverse the delocalisation policy immediately and comprehensively review teachers’ redeployment policy.
Without a doubt, the new CS will also be under pressure from the stakeholders in the education sector, especially teacher’s unions, to fast-track the abolishment of the delocalisation policy
