The government will hire 21,000 teachers this year, as the education sector grabbed the lion’s share of the 2020-21 budget.
Treasury CS Ukur Yatani Thursday said Sh2 billion has been allocated for the annual employment of 5,000 teachers.
Another 10,000 teachers will be employed under the economic stimulus programme.
Sh300 million will employ tutors with ICT background to support digital learning, Yatani said when he tabled the budget to the National Assembly.
Education also maintained its dominance as the highest funded sector, receiving Sh497.7 billion or 26.7 per cent of the budget.
It is not just teachers who will be smiling; primary and secondary schools will get Sh2.1 billion from which Sh1.9 billion will be used to buy 250,000 locally fabricated desks.
Another Sh300 million has been put aside for capitation and improvement of infrastructure in low-cost boarding schools.
Secondary schools will get the highest allocation with Sh59.4 billion set to support capitation for learners while Sh12.4 billion will cater for free primary education.
Funding to the cash-strapped universities has reduced by a significant Sh3 billion to Sh94.9 billion.
The reduction is expected to hurt operations of the institutions already struggling to keep afloat.
The higher education loans board will receive Sh16.8 billion.
Sh1.8 billion has been set aside for school feeding programme and Sh6.3 billion for the development of technical and vocational institutions.
Yatani gave Sh4 billion for waivers of KCPE, KCSE exams fees.
The Jubilee digital literacy programme and the competency based curriculum roll-out received Sh800 million.
Sh323 billion will go to the national research fund to support school projects in private and public universities.
With schools closed for the better part of first term and the whole of second term, the government will have saved over Sh16 billion in capitation for second term as schools remain closed until September.
