The Ministry of Education has clarified that institutions of higher learning are producing more teachers than the system can accommodate.

It has therefore reached out to persuade these institutions to reduce their intake of teacher trainees in fields that are already saturated and rather prioritise those where there is a shortage.

The ministry released a media statement earlier today acknowledging that the issue remains one of the persistent challenges it faces.

The current number of registered unemployed teachers, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations, is just over 4,000, with the majority in the junior primary phase, which is highly saturated.

To address the matter, the ministry is considering measures such as converting underutilised schools into community learning and development centres or other feasible uses in line with its mandate.

The ministry annually employs over 700 teachers to keep up with the population, despite the cap on the expansion of the wage bill.

The ministry says it is at an advanced stage of developing legislation for the establishment of a regulatory body for the teaching profession.

This legislation strives to improve the quality of learning outcomes by ensuring well-qualified teachers are in classrooms.