Ministry moves to end shortage of teachers in public schools
Monday November 08 2021
A teacher on duty in a public school. A PSC report shows that salary disparities and lack of fringe benefits to all are the main reasons why government employees seek jobs elsewhere. PHOTO | FILE
The Ministry of Education is set to deploy teachers to ease pressure on schools that reopened even with a shortage of teaching staff.
Public schools were facing a shortage of over 10,000 teachers and support staff when they reopened for the 2021/2022 first term, which runs from October 11 to December 24.
According to head teachers, schools were forced to combine classes to leverage on available staff in addition to suspending some subjects to fill the gap.
However, while the arrangement worked for existing schools which were already staffed, it has not been easy for newly-created schools without a good number of tutors or those with new combinations requiring qualifications that are not available.
“In our case available teachers have had to absorb all learners in classes that are yet to get tutors… that has exacerbated overcrowding. Teachers who were working 45 hours a week were have additional hours of up to five. It is a burden and effects on learning are inevitable,” said William Bizimana, Head Teacher of Ecole Primaire Bibungo, a newly created school in Kanyinya of Nyarugenge District with 1,200 learners.
“We need six additional teachers; we keep on the promise that they will be deployed soon.
The education docket officials handling the teachers’ recruitment exercise were yet to communicate the progress by press time. Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) head of teacher development and management department Leon Mugenzi did not agree to tackle Rwanda Today queries with regard timelines for the planned deployment after completing the examination on October 14.
The education ministry on October 19 notified all Districts to file lists of schools with vacant teaching positions, the number of staff, levels and qualifications each lacks. Correspondences seen by Rwanda Today instructed the Districts to submit this information not later than October 21.
Meanwhile, the successful candidates, who were notified through the public service recruitment portal, had since not received any information about the next stage.
Jean Marie Vianney Ahishakiye, a graduate in biology emerged among the successful candidates confirmed have received the notification.