Keep certificates, Knut tells heads

What you need to know:

  • Mr Sossion and Kessha Vice-Chairperson Tahi Indimuli Sunday said such directives would encourage parents not to pay their children’s fees.
  • The teachers accused Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi of failing to issue a circular to that effect.
  • They also accused governors of employing Early Childhood Development teachers and redefining them as assistants.

Headteachers were Sunday told to ignore a government order to release certificates to former students who have school fees arrears.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) said the order was inconsequential since teachers were not consulted.

“It would have been better for the government to invite us to sit together and see how the directive could be implemented before issuing it,” said Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion.

Knut and the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) officials said schools could not be run without money. “If they don’t call us for a meeting, the heads should continue keeping the documents,” said Mr Sossion.

The teachers accused Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi of failing to issue a circular to that effect.

Mr Sossion and Kessha Vice-Chairperson Tahi Indimuli Sunday said such directives would encourage parents not to pay their children’s fees.

The officials were speaking at Koibeyon Mixed Secondary school in Bomet East Constituency during a fundraiser for the construction of music and German classrooms. Sh6 million was raised.
Mr Sossion and Mr Indimuli said over the years, headteachers had been lenient with students from poor families with huge fee arrears.

Bomet Woman Representative Cecilia Ngetich said if the government was serious, it should immediately disburse to schools the Sh14 billion in fee arrears.

The unionists and Mr Indimuli dismissed the advertised 10,000 teaching vacancies, saying the new teachers would only replace those who had left the service through retirement or death. They said if the government was committed to providing quality education, it should employ not less than 100,000 teachers.

Mr Sossion, Mr Indimuli and Ms Ngetich said it was the Teachers Service Commission’s duty to hire and deploy teachers and told governors to stop misleading the public that they could take the role.

KILLING SUBJECTS
They also accused governors of employing Early Childhood Development teachers and redefining them as assistants.

“The ministry is killing subjects like music, woodwork, metalwork, German, and drawing and design by refusing to employ teachers for these disciplines,” said Mr Indimuli.

Mr Sossion said it was sad that the government always complained of lack of funds when it came to matters education yet the country was plagued with financial scandals, in which billions of shillings are lost.