By Tsozungu Kombe
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) has urged the government to allocate more funds to schools to be able to run their schools smoothly.
Speaking during the 45th KESSHA annual conference in Mombasa recently, national chairman Indimuli Kahi said their schools could not operate effectively due to lack of funds.
He said capitation grants should increase from 22,247 to 30,000 shillings per student each year.
He lamented that many development projects had stalled at their learning institutions, hence the congestion that was seen in many schools.
“Some of the buildings are very old and in pathetic conditions,” the Chair said, suggesting that the government should also allow them to increase boarding fees by at least 13 percent to cushion the learning institutions against huge debts from their suppliers.
Indimuli, however, lauded the government for its efforts to ensure teachers got their pay in time during the period ravaged by the Covid 19 pandemic.
He observed that despite the scourge, KESSHA had progressed very well in offering quality service to its members.
He encouraged those principals who had not joined KESSHA to do so since the association was out to fight for their rights.
He assured government that KESSHA will continue to support the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), noting they were ready for both junior and senior secondary schools.
Indimuli asked principals to remain united and focus on their work of promoting education.
About 10,000 secondary school principals attended the conference.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akelo Misori asked the government to recruit 115,000 teachers to make Competency-Based Curriculum a success.
He attributed dismal performance in national examinations in schools to shortage of teachers.
“The government is duty-bound to employ more teachers and deploy them to schools to end understaffing,” Misori said.
His sentiments were echoed by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu, who urged the government to deploy more teachers to understaffed schools.
Principal secretary for Higher Education Prof. Fatuma Chege urged all education stakeholders to work as a team in order to make CBC a success.
She said the success and progression of CBC demanded concerted efforts from all stakeholders.
Also present at the meeting was Principal Secretary for Basic Education Dr. Julius Jwan, who revealed that the government capitation grants will reach schools before the end of April 2022.
He advised schools to use the funds for the intended purposes.
Others were Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chairman Dr. Jamleck Muturi John, who said that the Commission will spend Sh. 2.5 billion in the current financial year to hire new teachers.
He further disclosed that the Commission had also employed 141,000 teachers since 2013, and that they will train more teachers on the CBC curriculum.
He urged teachers to exercise a high degree of integrity, transparency, accountability and honesty while discharging their daily duties.
