MPs: Science teachers shortages now critical

Most public secondary schools lack teachers for Basic Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geography and Biology subjects at ordinary level and even at high schools, they said, affirming that the shortage explains the poor performance of pupils in science subjects regularly noticed in national examinations.

MPs raised this worry when contributing to discussion of an annual report by the parliamentary standing committee on Community Development and Social Services, for the January 2022 to January 2023 period.

Husna Juma Sekiboko (Special Seats) said the government was scarcely recruiting new science teachers since 2017 while the number of students taking such subjects has consistently increased.

Last year the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) received 30,000 applications from science teachers wishing to jobs and the ministry picked 5,000 teachers for secondary schools.

“The country is facing a severe shortage of science teachers especially in public secondary schools, in which case many students fail science subjects,” she said, linking the need for experts in implementing development projects and facilitating a knowledgeable workforce for private sector development.

In recent years, a total of 165,948 teachers applied for various teaching posts and a total of 16,000 were recruited, she said.

Neema Mwandabila (Special Seats) advised the government to create a fund for recruiting science teachers each fiscal year for public secondary schools to produce scientists.

“Private secondary schools have been performing better than public ones because they have enough science teachers. It is high time the government recognises that without scientists real economic developments shall be hard to achieve,” she said.

Tunza Malapo (Special Seats) said that most public secondary schools lack science teachers especially for Form One and Form Three.

“In some schools there are just two teachers while the subjects are supposed to be taught from form one, thus students learn Biology or Chemistry so that they can sit for form two exams,” she explained.

“The same applies to form three students who lack teachers and facilities for learning but they sit for science exams in form four. The government must invest enough for the country’s education system to meet required standards.”

Stanislaus Nyongo (Maswa East), the Community Development and Social Services standing committee chairman, said in January 2022 to January 2023 report that shortage of teachers in public schools caused massive failure of students in national exams.

“The committee therefore advises the government to prioritise recruitment of teachers in public schools for better results. However, learning facilities must also be improved,” he said.

Current data with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology indicates that the country needed 19,216 Basic Mathematics teachers but so far just 5,537 teachers are on the job, implying a shortage of 71 percent of needed professionals.

This resulted in 83 percent of examinees in the Form Four national examinations in 2022 failing the subjects, he stated, elaborating that the country requires 16,334 Physics teachers in secondary schools but only 3,758 are posted, a shortage of 77 percent. This way, 82 percent of students who sat for the 2022 Form Four national exams failed the subject, he stated.

The demand for Chemistry teachers is pegged at 16,664 but just 6,074 teachers are employed, a deficit of 10,590 teachers or 64 percent. Thus 67 percent of students failed the subject in last years’ Form Four exams, he said.

Similarly the demand for Biology teachers is 17,813 but only 5,795 are available, a 67 percent shortage resulting in 53 percent of students failing the subject in national exams.

Geography alternatively has 13,755 teachers to cater for public secondary schools while the demand is 18,181. The 4,000 teachers’ shortage led to 45 percent of students who sat for the national exams in 2022 failing the subject, the report indicated.