- The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has warned parents against interfering with teachers’ work, saying disciplinary matters, transfers and professional decisions fall under the Commission’s mandate.
- Education officials also blamed poor fee payment and parental neglect for declining academic performance in some schools.
Parents in Kakamega North Sub-county have been warned against interfering with the operations of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in handling school matters.
The warning comes amid rising cases of parents clashing with classroom teachers and principals, where they allegedly intimidate and harass education professionals while carrying out their duties.
Addressing parents and other education stakeholders during the Samitsi Centre of Excellence Annual General Meeting (AGM), Kakamega North TSC Sub-county Director Remjus Otieno issued a stern warning to a section of parents who have developed a tendency of storming schools and forcing teachers and principals out over poor performance and disciplinary issues.
He said parents have no legal authority to transfer or dismiss teachers and urged them to stop interfering with the Commission’s mandate.
“We have seen very humiliating acts from parents directed not only at our teachers but even at officers. They storm our offices demanding that certain teachers or principals be transferred or even sacked on very flimsy grounds. This has become a vice, especially when schools post poor examination results,” he said.
Otieno reminded parents that teachers across the country use the same curriculum and that learners also bear responsibility for their academic performance by attending classes regularly and studying diligently.
He further argued that delayed payment of school fees contributes significantly to poor academic performance because learners are frequently sent home, causing them to miss important lessons.
“In fact, parents should be held accountable for most poor results because many fail to pay school fees on time. Once learners are sent home, some parents keep them away from school for weeks to perform household chores, causing them to miss key lessons,” he added.
The director warned that if parents continued intimidating teachers, the Commission would consider withdrawing teachers from affected schools and leave parents to employ their own teachers under Boards of Management (BOM).
“We have seen cases where parents storm schools and frogmarch principals from their stations over poor results, yet the same parents rarely pay school fees on time to facilitate smooth learning,” he said.
He also observed that many parents had neglected their responsibility of disciplining their children, leaving the burden entirely to teachers before turning against them whenever disciplinary measures are taken.
Principal cites fee arrears and indiscipline
Samitsi Girls High School Principal Gladys Mudaki supported the director’s remarks, saying she had personally experienced threats and abuse from parents after sending learners home to collect school fees.
Mudaki said the problem had become widespread despite the school’s efforts to retain learners in class.
She revealed that parents currently owe the school about Sh23 million in fee arrears.
Although Samitsi Girls remains one of the best-performing schools in the sub-county, she said delayed fee payment continues to undermine smooth learning.
The school has admitted 740 students to university over the past four years, including 209 candidates who attained C+ and above in the 2025 KCSE examinations.
Mudaki urged parents to fulfil their responsibilities by providing their children with basic needs, noting that many learners suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority because of parental neglect.
She also expressed concern over increasing cases of indiscipline linked to mobile phones and unrestricted access to social media.
“We continue to direct parents not to allow learners to bring mobile phones to school, but the problem persists. When we confiscate the devices, some parents call us with threats,” she said.
KNUT demands release of KNEC marking allowances
Kakamega North Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Executive Secretary Shadrack Muyaka called on the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to release marking allowances owed to teachers who marked the 2025 national examinations.
He said it was unfair for the council to withhold teachers’ payments for almost a year while expecting them to mark this year’s examinations.
“We need to have a serious and candid conversation with KNEC over this mistreatment and the modalities of payment before this year’s examinations. Failure to do so, we shall withdraw our examination marking services completely,” he warned.
Muyaka also called for enhanced protection of teachers against killings and other forms of mistreatment.
Addressing parents, he reminded them that successful implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum requires the combined efforts of parents, teachers and learners.
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He noted that parents contribute 25 per cent, teachers 25 per cent, and learners 50 per cent, adding that education should not be left to teachers alone.
By Wakhungu Andanje
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