Scores of non-local teachers in Garissa county have yet to report to schools in Ijara and Hulugho for fear of being targeted by al-Shabaab militants.
Recently, four pupils in Saretho and three non-native teachers in Kamuthe died in Shabaab attacks. Hence, in the wake of the boycott, only a few local teachers remain in most secondary and primary schools.
Ijara Teachers Service Commission director Ali Kiin instructed all non-local teachers to report to the subcounty education director for further direction. He said all education stakeholders in the area and local security agents would meet urgently to chart the way forward.
However, Ijara and Hulugho Knut branch executive secretary Noor sheikh instructed affected teachers not to report as their security has not been guaranteed.
Early this week, elected leaders from Garissa, led by Governor Ali Korane and Senator Yussuf Haji, came together in a bid to address the security risks posed by the Somalia-based terror group. They condemned the recent attacks.
Senator Haji said they will no longer engage in blame games but will forge a united front in ending sporadic attacks that have disrupted education and other key sectors. “What has been happening can no longer be tolerated. We have engaged all the stakeholders and we are ready to face these criminals head-on,” he said.
The leaders will come up with resolutions to ensure the militants are flushed out of the region. They expect the government to fully support their proposals.
Korane said they will engage with the national government to know the number of youths from the area who have joined militant groups and work towards returning them back. "We will also work with the national government to ensure our youth are not radicalised," he said.
Also present at the meeting was National Assembly Majority leader Aden Duale. Other leaders were MPs Sofia Abdinor (Ijara), Mohamed Dahiye (Dadaab), Abdikarim Osman (Fafi), Abdi Omar (Balambala), Mohamed Hire (Lagdera), nominated Senator Falhatho Iman and former Balambala MP Abdikadir Omar (EALA). MCAs, Christian and Muslim clerics and senior security chiefs also attended.
The TSC had withdrawn non-local teachers from Fafi, Balambala, Ijara and Hulugho and redeployed them to safe areas in the region following similar attacks.
However, the teachers declined the transfers saying their safety was not guaranteed as long as they still taught within the county.
