Govt announces 46,000 new jobs

DODOMA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has issued a permit to employ 46,000 new public servants, as Minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance) Mr. George Simbachawene informed Parliament.

Responding to a supplementary question posed by Special Seats MP Benardeta Mushashu (CCM) in the august House yesterday, the minister said the new vacancies will involve different cadres of public servants.

According to Mr Simbachawene, out of the 46,000 job vacancies, 12,000 jobs will be for teachers, while 10,000 vacancies will be for public servants in the health sector The remaining vacancies will be allocated to other cadres. In her supplementary question, the Special Seats MP sought a government response on its strategies to address the shortage of teachers in Kagera Region.

“I would like to use this platform to inform MPs and the general public that President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued a permit yesterday (on Tuesday) to hire 46,000 new public servants,” Mr. Simbachawene responded.

The minister said the government is considering devising a new hiring modality where regional authorities will be involved instead of doing it through the central hiring portal.

“President Samia is doing all this because she is listening to the voices of Members of Parliament and the general public,” the minister told Parliament. The minister said the new vacancies, once filled, will help to some extent to address the shortage of teachers and public servants in the health sector.

Deputy Speaker Mussa Zungu asked the government to prioritize Tanzanians who are currently volunteering when recruiting new public servants. Earlier, Ms Mushashu told the august House that some schools in Kagera Region are no longer teaching Science and Mathematics subjects due to the shortage of teachers, a trend that is dangerous for the nation’s future, given that the world is now ruled by science and technology.

Before Mr Simbachawene made an announcement in Parliament on the new job vacancies, Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) Ms. Zainab Katimba told Parliament that the sixth phase government has been employing primary and secondary school science teachers depending on the availability of funds.

According to the deputy minister, from 2020/2021 to 2022/2023, a total of 18,016 primary school teachers and 10,917 secondary school science teachers were hired before being allocated to different district councils.

Giving a breakdown on secondary school Mathematics and Science teachers hired during the period under review, the deputy minister said in the 2020/2021 financial year, a total of 3,000 teachers were employed, while in the 2021/2022 financial year, a total of 3,742 teachers were recruited.

According to the deputy minister, in 2022/2023, a total of 4,175 teachers were hired. Ms Katimba assured the general public that the government will continue hiring new Science and Mathematics teachers depending on the availability of funds and the government’s ability to shoulder the wage bill.

The majority of MPs in an ongoing parliamentary meeting are complaining about the shortage of teachers in their constituencies, with the government responding that efforts are being made to address the problem.