Outgoing Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has urged teachers to give the new administration time to first settle in before issuing any demand.
He said it would be unfair and insensitive of any member of the teaching fraternity to vent their issues with the new team before the new officials get accustomed to their roles.
The CS said by the time the national examinations will have started, the new team will be about a month old in office and as such cooperation is needed from all stakeholders for the well- being of the education sector.
Magoha in that regard pleaded with the teachers to suspend their issues if they have any, up to next year when the new officials will have known the drill.
“Be gentle to the new government. Do not make unnecessary demands until the new team settles. Let another department be the problem but not the education sector. If you have some hard balls to play, please do so next year when the new team has settled,” he said.
Speaking in Kirinyaga during the marking of post world teachers’ day, the CS commended the teacher for their unrelenting passion in delivering their services with minimum or no supervision.
He called on them not to lower themselves as the work they do goes beyond the call of duty and as such no any form of pay will ever equal their precious services.
“If I can rate you on a scale of 10, I would give you an eight therefore do not downgrade yourselves. The level of the work you do, no government can be able to pay you. Therefore, do not cheapen yourselves by chanting solidarity pesa. This however does not go to say that you should not negotiate for better working terms,” he said.
Magoha further thanked the new administration under the presidency of William Ruto for its commitment to retain and streamline the competency-based curriculum. He described the move as bold and intelligent saying the system can be perfected with time.
The CS outlined the advantages of the new model saying both teachers and pupils are enjoying it and as such further called on parents to be more proactive as far as the implementation of CBC is concerned.
He however called on the government to complete the process for the payment of workers contracted to put up the 10,000 CBC classrooms which cost the government Sh788,000. He said the fund is already factored in the budget.
The CS said the national examination would start on November 28 and thus called for cooperation from teachers in invigilating and marking the exams so that the results would have been released by January 23. He said this will enable the education calendar which was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, to resume normalcy from early next year.
He further called for the continuation of the Elimu bursary scholarship which he described as a game changer in the lives of thousands of students who come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Knut secretary general Collins Oyuu hailed the formation of the CBC taskforce as he assured his members that their concerns about the new model will be factored in the union’s presentation that will be made before the taskforce.
Besides that, he assured of the union’s readiness to work with the new administration for the betterment of the education sector. In addition, he called for the implementation of pledges made by the Kenya Kwanza government which includes employment of more teachers, reversal of delocalisation policy and increment of salaries to teachers.
Leaders present who included county senator Kamau Murango, Woman Rep Njeri Maina and Kirinyaga Central MP Gachoki Gitari pledged to make conducive laws that help improve teachers' working conditions.
-Edited by SKanyara
