Online lessons won’t affect tutors recruitment, says TSC boss

The introduction of online lessons shared by 10 schools at a go will not reduce the number of teachers hired by the Teachers Service Commission.

Speaking during the launch of the new programme at Alliance Girls High School, TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia said the programme is intended to support teachers.

She dismissed fears the programme might reduce teacher numbers and make thousands of teachers jobless.

“I want to tell unions that this will not replace teachers and that it does not mean we will stop recruiting teachers,” Macharia said.

The programme dubbed 'Lesson Streaming' will see students in 10 schools attend a lesson hosted by a principal school.

Every secondary school has had five teachers trained to conduct the computer lesson.

That means up to 163,938 teachers have been trained on remote methodologies to be implemented countrywide.

“The pilot will initially target Form 2 students although it will be upscaled to cover more classes in schools experiencing teacher shortage,” she said.

The pilot phase, which is set to take two months, will focus on science, mathematics and English.

The TSC boss also thanked teachers for embracing new ideas whenever they are introduced in schools.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairperson Indimuli Kahi said the programme will be a game changer.

However, he called for alternative measures to mitigate the cost of this programme in the future.

“There’ll be a need for each of us, as individuals, to find ways in which infrastructure is improved and the cost is dealt with,” Kahi said.

Kahi assured teachers that the programme will not replace their responsibilities in schools.

"Other service providers will have to engage TSC to ensure the costs are brought down to be affordable," he added.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers secretary general Akello Misori called for enhanced connectivity in schools.

The principal school, which is the host, will have classes available to 10 other satellite schools.

Machakos High School and Alliance Girls' High School are the pilot principal schools.

Satellite schools for Alliance are: Kipukoro Mixed, Kiwandani School, Bishop Baldacchino, Kurongurik and Suguta Girls' Secondary School.

Satellite schools for Machakos School are: Isiolo Girls' Secondary School, Collin Davis Mixed, AIC Kavalula, Njoro Secondary and Muthingini Girls.

The pilot schools are in Isiolo, Kilifi, Bomet, Taita-Taveta, Makueni and Kisii counties.

Ministry of ICT will connect 8,000 schools to the government’s fibre optic in the Last-Mile Internet Connectivity initiative.

So far, pilot fibre connection has been done in 13 schools.

Ten of them are primary schools while three are secondary schools.

There's a plan by the ministry to connect 24,000 schools in three years.

(edited by Amol Awuor)