- CSO Joseph Soita Maruti has challenged Siyoi Zone school heads to prioritise learner welfare, teamwork, punctuality and accountability in daily institutional practice.
- Maruti has directed schools to strengthen learner tracking and maintain proper professional records, cautioning teachers against wholesale use of downloaded schemes of work.
- Maruti has announced that lesson observations will take place in late September or early October, alongside intensified career-pathway guidance for Grade 9 learners and their parents.
School leadership in Siyoi Zone has come under renewed scrutiny, with heads of institutions challenged to ensure that every decision, every lesson and every administrative action ultimately serves one purpose: improving the learner’s welfare, development and chances of success.
CSO Joseph Soita Maruti delivered the message to heads of institutions in Siyoi Zone, challenging them to raise the bar on leadership, professional accountability, teamwork, time management, learner tracking and school performance. His message addressed what happens daily in institutions, from the moment teachers report to school and enter classrooms to the way learners are supported, monitored and guided towards their future pathways.
For school heads, putting the larner first means making the welfare, development, academic progress and future of every child the overriding consideration in institutional decisions. Maruti challenged heads to build institutions where professionalism, discipline, teamwork and accountability are reflected in daily practice, rather than merely written expectations, with administrative procedures, meetings, documentation and institutional programmes ultimately serving the core business of education.
Maruti identified good staff relationships as an important ingredient in institutional success, noting that where relationships are characterised by respect, cooperation and open professional communication, the institution becomes stronger. He challenged school heads to foster harmonious working relationships while ensuring that collaboration operates within recognised hierarchies and professional channels of communication, with every member of staff understanding their responsibilities and respecting designated authority.
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One of the strongest messages concerned the use of instructional time. Teachers were reminded to enter classrooms on time and maximise every minute available for teaching and learning, with heads of institutions urged to promote punctuality, proper planning and disciplined use of school time. Maruti also challenged teachers and school leaders to strengthen learner tracking, monitoring attendance, participation, academic progress and individual challenges throughout the learning process to enable early intervention when learners begin missing classes, falling behind academically or withdrawing from classroom participation.
Maruti further reminded teachers of the importance of maintaining professional records, including work records, lesson notes, schemes of work, attendance registers, learner progress records and TPAD documentation. He noted that teachers should not simply download schemes from online sources and use them wholesale as substitutes for professional preparation, saying professional documentation should demonstrate deliberate preparation rather than routine compliance.
On school performance, Maruti said improved performance requires a collective institutional effort rather than being left to a handful of teachers or the administration alone, and should not be reduced to examination grades alone but should also promote discipline, talent development, confidence, participation, creativity and skills. He encouraged heads of institutions to recognise and motivate staff who demonstrate commitment and exceptional performance.
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The CSO also announced that lesson observations are expected during the last week of September or the first week of October, placing renewed attention on classroom practice, teacher preparation, learner engagement and the effective delivery of lessons.
Beyond classroom instruction, Maruti urged schools to intensify sensitisation of learners and parents on career pathways, with particular attention given to Grade 9 learners approaching significant decisions concerning their future educational pathways. He called for stronger parental engagement, with schools expected to keep parents informed and involve them in important decisions concerning their children’s educational and career progression.
By Hillary Muhalya
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