• MP Sophia Abdinoor terms as "outright discrimination" revocation of order that lowered grade for admission into teacher colleges to D+.
• Garissa Township MP and Majority leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale says move will disorient trainees.
Ijara MP Sophia Abdinoor has demanded that the government posts enough teachers to areas perceived to be insecure or allow D+ students to train as tutors.
Speaking in Ijara town yesterday, Abdinoor termed as "outright discrimination" by the government the revocation of orders that lowered grades for admission to teachers colleges.
“As leaders from the Northeastern, we sat down with the Ministry of Education officials to get solutions for the education crisis. That is when we came up with affirmative action so that students with lower grades can pursue teaching and offer solutions. Unfortunately, that has been revoked,” she said.
Her remarks came just days after Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang instructed the eight regional directors of Education to ensure all private and public colleges only train students who attained minimum entry requirement of C plain for certificate and C+ for diploma courses. The letter was dated April 26.
The MP threatened to sue Teacher Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia, saying she ought to post more teachers "if they [the state] have rejected students with lower grades to teach in far-flung areas."
“NG-CDF has been sponsoring 84 students, parents have also been working hard for their children and the ministry has pumped money to schools. This is a waste of resources if classes are empty,” she told a gathering in Ijara town.
The lawmaker, who was accompanied by MCAs, said the Constitution recognises affirmative action so that marginalised areas are at par with others in the country.
“These students have wasted their time and resources. On this, we will demand answers from the highest offices in this land. It's unacceptable for anyone to play with the lives of our people,” she added.
Garissa Township MP and National Assembly Majority leader Aden Duale said the move will disorient trainees.
“How do you tell a trainee who has completed one year in college, whom we have paid their school fees through bursaries, to go home just like that? It is unfair and uncalled-for, ” Duale said.
Duale said lowering the grades, in which 300 students joined Garissa Teachers Training College, was an opportunity for the region to address an acute shortage of teachers.
There has been an exodus of teachers from the Northeastern region due to terror attacks. The TSC has also withdrawn teachers in areas perceived to be insecure.