Mombasa MCAs raise alarm over severe teacher shortage in ECDE, Vocational Training Centres
MCAs said the shortage of ECDE teachers had become a major concern, arguing that the situation was compromising children’s learning experience at the foundational level.
Mombasa Members of County Assembly (MCAs) have sounded the alarm over an acute shortage of teachers in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres and Vocational Training Centres (VTCs), warning that the crisis is weakening the quality of education across the county.
The County Assembly Committee on Labour and Public Service Administration, during a sitting with the Department of Education and Vocational Training, said the staffing imbalance had reached a worrying level, with classrooms overcrowded and instructors overstretched.
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Committee Chairperson Jacktone Madialo said the shortage of ECDE teachers had become a major concern, arguing that the situation was compromising children’s learning experience at the foundational level.
“The numbers simply don’t add up. Some centres have overwhelming enrolment but very few teachers, which directly affects the quality of learning. We cannot continue to ignore this,” said Madialo.
According to Dr Mbwarali Kame, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education and Vocational Training, Mombasa currently has 335 ECDE teachers serving 10,630 learners, against the Ministry of Education’s recommended ratio of one teacher for every 25 pupils.
Dr Kame acknowledged that the county faces a shortfall of about 90 ECDE teachers and said his department was in talks with the County Public Service Board and the Department of Finance to fast-track recruitment.
The committee also heard that the situation in Vocational Training Centres was equally dire.
Frankline Makanga, MCA for Chaaani Ward, said only 11 staff members were deployed across all VTCs, forcing institutions to rely on casual workers paid through capitation funds.
Makanga warned that the arrangement not only violated human resource procedures but also placed the credibility of vocational training at risk.
“This approach is unsustainable. We need structured recruitment and sufficient staffing if we are serious about equipping young people with skills,” he added.
Following the discussions, the committee instructed the Department of Education and Vocational Training to collaborate with relevant offices and present a report within two weeks outlining progress on addressing the staffing crisis.
The legislators maintained that without immediate intervention, the staffing gaps would continue to hinder access to quality education and weaken Mombasa’s efforts to strengthen its early learning and technical training sectors.
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