Radical plan to overhaul education management

The government is planning to overhaul key institutions involved in the management of basic education through radical proposals that could see county commissioners chair education boards.

According to the proposals, the Ministry of Education will seek a reduction in the membership of county education boards and school management boards. It will also push for an overhaul of the Education Appeals Tribunal in far-reaching changes that could streamline the governance of basic education.

BILL

The proposals were submitted to the National Assembly’s Committee on Education by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed and Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang when they appeared to give their views on the Statute Law Miscellaneous (Amendments) Bill 2018.

The ministry wants Section 20 of the Basic Education Act amended to reduce the membership to nine. It also wants the county commissioner to chair the board for ease in implementing government policy.

Under the current law, the board has 17 members, a number Mr Kipsang said is not good for functional governance.

The boards comprise an educationist of at least five years standing based in the county, the County Director of Education, or his or her representative, who acts as the secretary to the board, and a representative of the county executive in charge of education.

Others are a representative of the Teachers Service Commission; a joint representative of the National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya; the Kenya Episcopal Conference and the Muslims Education Council.    

BOARDS

The Association of Private Schools is also represented, as are trade unions. Two people are to represent the interest of teachers; two representatives of parents teachers associations; a representative of persons with disability, two members nominated by Primary School Head Teachers’ Association and Secondary School Principals Association, and a representative of a child rights organisation.

The Act gives the board the power to co-opt into its membership not more than three people with skills and experience to assist it discharge its functions.

“The current number is too big. It affects decision making,” Mr Kipsang told the committee which is chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.

The ministry also wants to give the Cabinet Secretary sweeping powers to determine who sits on the boards. While the Ministry wants to retain on the board a person with at least five years’ experience, and the County Director of Education, it wants the provisions dealing with appointment of other members deleted.