President has told members of Parliament to keep off the ongoing teacher recruitment to allow the Teachers Service Commission to carry out its work professionally.
However,Dr Ruto agreed with MPs that the application deadline be extended and that TSC should be allowed to staff schools that will have junior secondary school (JSS) when they open next month.
Some MPs have been accused of mobilising unemployed teachers from their constituencies to lock out others viewed as outsiders since TSC advertised more than 35,000 vacancies this month.
President said Education is very important. Many parents are anxious and they want their children to progress with learning. We’re doing reforms during a tricky period. We must agree to have a transition that’ll not bring problems to parents.
Dr Ruto said the government had made plans for all learners who were in Grade Six to transition to JSS within the primary schools they attended so that they are not far from their parents.
This, he said will make education affordable for the parents.He said extra classrooms and laboratories would be built in every primary school.
“I can only allow the extension of the exercise but not political leaders interfering with process. Our children are too important for leaders politicise the exercise,” said the Head of State.
He noted that the state was banking on recruitment of 35,000 new teachers to support in the transition of Grade Six to junior secondary next year and address the shortage of teachers.
He also directed reopening of schools in banditry-prone areas in in Baringo County by January as the government intensifies a crackdown on suspects behind the insecurity.
President Ruto directed Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohammed to ensure the eight schools in Baringo North and Baringo South constituencies are reopened.
