- The Machakos governor calls for urgent negotiations to end the strike and allow learning to resume.
- She warns that prolonged disruption could cause anxiety and emotional stress among students and parents.
- Lecturers are also urged to soften their stance and engage their employer over unresolved grievances.
Machakos County Governor Wavinya Ndeti has appealed to the national government to find a quick and lasting solution to the ongoing university lecturers’ strike and allow students to resume learning.
Her call came as lecturers and non-academic staff across the country launched a nationwide strike on Friday over pay and other unresolved terms of service.
Addressing residents at Mbiuni Location in Mwala Sub-County on Saturday during her development tour of the region, Governor Wavinya said failure to end the strike would cause anxiety and emotional stress among parents and students and negatively affect university academic programmes.
She noted that the disruption of university education leaves thousands of students idle.
“Wasted time cannot be recovered. Let us bring this to an end. Let us please negotiate with the lecturers and give them what they want so that they can go back to the universities and teach,” said the county boss.
The governor further warned that having thousands of university students out of class could have serious consequences, urging the national government and lecturers to return to the negotiating table and find a lasting solution to the standoff.
Prioritise lecturers and dialogue
She said the future of society depends on how children are prepared for it, noting that lecturers play a role in that preparation. She urged the government to prioritise lecturers and come up with long-term solutions.
Her remarks come at a time when various stakeholders have continued to call for an amicable resolution to the dispute, which has disrupted learning in universities across the country.
READ ALSO: TSC to honour about 309 teachers at World Teachers’ Day celebrations
She also urged lecturers to soften their stance and engage in dialogue with their employer so their grievances could be addressed instead of going on strike.
By Gastone Valusi
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
