The Teachers Service Commission has presented an ambitious budget proposal to parliament, seeking unprecedented funding to hire 16,000 new educators and transition interns to permanent roles.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is pushing for a historic financial allocation to rescue a strained education sector. Facing massive teacher shortages, the commission outlined a multi-billion shilling recovery plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

This budgetary demand strikes at the heart of Kenya's educational crisis. As the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) places immense pressure on infrastructure and personnel, securing this Sh422.9 billion (approx. KES 422.9bn) budget is critical to maintaining the integrity and future viability of the nation's public schooling system.

The Financial Blueprint

Appearing before the Departmental Committee on Education of the National Assembly, TSC CEO Evaleen Mitei presented a comprehensive financial strategy for the 2026/27 financial year. The commission requested an increase from the current Sh387.1 billion to a staggering Sh422.9 billion. The core objective of this expanded budget is to aggressively combat the chronic teacher shortage that has left hundreds of thousands of trained professionals jobless while classrooms remain hopelessly overcrowded.

The breakdown of the requested funds reveals targeted interventions. A dedicated Sh1.9 billion has been earmarked specifically for the recruitment of 16,000 new teachers, primarily to staff the under-resourced Junior and Senior Secondary Schools. Furthermore, the TSC aims to address the longstanding grievances of its contract workers by allocating Sh7.2 billion to convert 20,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms, offering much-needed job security to the backbone of the primary education workforce.

• TSC proposes a Sh422.9 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year.
• Plans include hiring 16,000 new teachers for junior and senior schools.
• Sh7.2 billion is allocated to convert 20,000 interns to permanent contracts.

Addressing the JSS Transition

The successful implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum hinges entirely on adequately equipped educators. The transition phase into Junior Secondary School (JSS) has been fraught with logistical nightmares, primarily due to a severe lack of specialized teachers. To mitigate this, the TSC has requested an additional Sh1.5 billion purely for the retooling and retraining of existing staff to handle the new, dynamic learning areas mandated by the CBC.

Moreover, the commission is committed to industrial harmony. Mitei outlined plans to implement the second phase of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at a cost of Sh8.4 billion, alongside promoting 12,000 teachers annually with a Sh2 billion allocation. This comprehensive approach is designed to boost morale, incentivize performance, and halt the alarming exodus of educators to the private sector or alternative careers.

The Economic Burden on the State

While the TSC's demands are academically justified, they present a monumental challenge to the National Treasury. The government is already grappling with massive debt servicing and recurrent expenditures that consume the bulk of tax revenues. Funding the TSC at this level requires brutal fiscal trade-offs. However, the cost of underfunding education is infinitely higher. A collapsed public school system guarantees a future workforce lacking essential skills, directly threatening Kenya's Vision 2030 and its status as East Africa's economic powerhouse.

The commission also fired a warning shot regarding unfunded mandates, noting that despite the massive figure, critical operational areas remain exposed. The onboarding of over 400,000 teachers and their dependents onto the Social Health Authority scheme adds another layer of financial complexity that must be meticulously managed.

"We must continuously address the existing teacher shortage to achieve the envisioned goal under the government manifesto," stated TSC CEO Evaleen Mitei.