Kuppet wants CBC task force disbanded, JSS in secondary school

Storm is brewing in the education sector after a teachers' union sought reversal of a directive to domicile Grade 7 students in primary schools.

The secondary school teachers union said it was a mistake to have the learners remain in primary school.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori faulted the 49-member education review team for ‘misleading’ the country.

“Kuppet calls for disbandment of the CBC task force, notwithstanding their eminence in society, the party has contributed more confusion than solutions,” Misori said.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the union expressed their dissatisfaction in the conduct of JSS transition.

Misori warned that if action is not taken, the 1.2 million pioneer cohort's future is at stake.

“There are unclear teacher management procedures that have resulted in many cases being lodged by JSS teachers,” he said.

The SG said it’s not too late to take back the learners to secondary school.

Misori explained that secondary schools are more equipped to host the learners.

“It is common sense that building more classrooms in secondary schools which already have laboratories is more cost-effective than trying to create whole new infrastructure in primary schools,” he said.

Misori explained that the proposal to revert the decision should be treated as an urgent matter.

“If we are to return them to secondary schools which are more equipped then we need to do it before the end of holiday,” he said.

Kuppet chairperson Omboko Milemba backed the sentiments saying primary schools are not equipped to host JSS.

"Those schools don't have lab technicians so who will help the children during practicals? But secondary schools have all those staff," he said.

The unions is now calling on a crisis meeting to be attended by education stakeholders, that is unions, TSC, education committee and parents association.

“We will sit with stakeholders and if worse, we might talk to our teachers and tell them to take some letter with a different payment to teachers Grade 7,” Milemba said.

But he clarified that this crisis meeting will not involve the Raphael Munavu task force.

If the proposal to take Grade 7 back to secondary school is rejected, Milemba said the union will engage its members on way forward.

The Emuhaya MP said the main problem facing Grade 7 transition is lack of human resource.

“Students have no teachers, no books so it’s clear we made a mistake with the issue of domiciling,” he said.

According to a spot check by the Star, most schools are yet to receive Grade 7 books, months after admission.

This is despite Education CS Ezekiel Machogu saying the distribution will take only three weeks, from admission.

“In our school, students have received text books for six subjects, we are waiting for six more to arrive and we don’t know when,” a teacher told the Star.

On teachers shortage, TSC explained why they posted one teacher per class, that is 30,550 teachers to primary schools.

-Edited by SKanyara