- Nelson Kirui who was also present at the education stakeholders’ forum was transferred from Uasin Gishu to Lamu county.
- Indimuli Kahi backed previous calls to have a scholarship regulator to allow deserving learners to benefit from the bursaries available.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
A number of teachers from several parts of the country raised concerns during the education stakeholders forum by Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
The issues range from "unfair" de-localisation, drug abuse in schools and insufficient funding.
Speaking on Thursday at the Catholic University of East Africa, the teachers asked Deputy President William Ruto to deal with their concerns, if elected on August, 9.
Martha Amollo, a teacher at Cheptumbelio primary in Trans Nzoia recalled receiving a transfer letter from Nairobi to her current station after raising a number of concerns.
Amollo requested Ruto to do away with what she termed as unfair delocalisation as a weapon to silence teachers.
“I was transferred to the Kenya-Uganda border while my husband works in the Kenya-Somalia border,” Amollo said.
She said the family is undergoing tough financial times because of the burden to take care of four homes.
“Now we have one home where I work, where my husband works, in Nairobi where I have a candidate and our rural home,” she said.
Amollo who is vocal about teacher’s issues added that the de-localisation affects teachers’ productivity.
She cited an example of Nelson Kirui who received his transfer letter outside the maternity wing in a hospital, while spending time with his –just-delivered baby and mother.
Kirui who was also present at the education stakeholders’ forum was transferred from Uasin Gishu to Lamu county but he later applied for a sick leave.
Kirui, who is also Kenya National Teachers Pressure group deputy secretary, together with the other teachers questioned the decision by the Teachers Service Commission to transfer them.
"The transfers have been meted out on the affected members because they have been vocal about Teachers Professional Development and also because they are members of KNTP," a report reads.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chair Indimuli Kahi raised issues affecting school heads in management of schools.
Kahi was concerned with the rising cases of drug abuse by students and the way in which such cases are handled.
The Machakos High school principal recommended random drug tests for students just as is done for sportsmen.
“The reason why we fail to deal with such cases is we lack evidence. You catch a student smoking then they throw it in the latrine, that’s destroyed evidence,” Kahi said.
To instil high standards of discipline, he called for empowerment of boards of management to deal with indiscipline.
“Weed is the most abused drug in schools and we need combined effort to deal with the drug menace,” he added.
In terms of bursaries, Kahi backed previous calls to have a scholarship regulator.
This, he said would allow deserving learners to benefit from the bursaries available.
“You get one student has benefited from almost five bursaries every term. After Form 4, they have an over-payment that the parent comes demanding for a refund,” he said.
Kahi said at this point, he is always torn between refunding the parent or the company which offered the bursary.
Among the proposals by Ruto is the establishment of a national education fund to mobilise grants, bursaries and scholarships from private and public sponsors to cater for non-tuition costs.
Currently, parents meet the cost of transport, meals, uniform and boarding fees under the Free Primary Education and the Free Day Secondary Education.
"To this effect, the Kenya Kwanza administration will work towards strengthening day secondary schools to guarantee access to quality education and reduce the cost of education,” the Charter reads in part.
The Deputy President further promises to increase funding for the free basic education programmes and allocate more funds to implement quality education.