Kisumu city hosted 13 counties in the 2023 Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) conferences with the counties holding their meetings in different hotels within the expansive city.
This is according to the calendar seen by the Education News which showed 14 counties had planned to hold their county conferences in the city. Some opted to change venue citing incidences recently witnessed in Kisumu and parts of Nyanza region during anti-government protests by Azimio.
The meetings which began on Tuesday this week are expected to run for two weeks within the April school holiday.
Among the counties holding their KESSHA meetings in Kisumu are Migori (royal swiss hotel), Turkana (Grate Lakes hotel), Muranga (Tom Mboya labour college), Kwale, Taita Taveta, Garisa, Mandera, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Nandi, Wajir and West Pokot but however, Kericho County opted to change their venue to Nakuru from Kisumu.
Migori County KESSHA conference kicked off on Monday with it being officiated by Migori County Governor Ochilo Ayacko during the opening ceremony and it concluded on Thursday on the theme of ‘enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of education in Kenya’.
While addressing the school heads from schools in Migori county, the Nyanza Regional Education Director, Nelson Sifuna noted that such conferences are a major opportunity for the ministry, Teachers Service Commission (TSC), teachers among other stakeholders to hold discussions on how best to manage learning institutions.
“The ministry comes in as a facilitator of these events and we wish to work closely with school heads, teachers and other school managers to ensure learning runs smoothly and with quality of education provided to our children,” said Sifuna.
He also noted that the ministry will continue to address issues pertaining to its mandate especially on capitation in time to see the learning institutions run smoothly.
He however challenged parents to ensure they make payment of school fees in time to ensure their children are kept in school especially for candidates in their second term where rigorous learning takes place.
“I plead with parents to make necessary arrangements to ensure their children are kept in school by paying school fees in time. Our candidates should remain in schools especially once schools resume for second term as this will enable them grasp more to prepare for the national exams schedules by the end of the year,” he noted.
Sifuna applauded political leaders for ensuring peace prevails across the nation and more especially in the region enabling Kisumu county host 13 counties over the April holiday for KESSHA conferences.
Ayacko while addressing the school heads at the Royal Swiss hotel in Kisumu during the conference noted that Migori County Government through its department of education is already in the process of coming up with policies that would enable teachers further their education through grants and also students’ scholarships dubbed ‘governors’ grant’ besides the bursaries that had been released to respective schools of the learners who had applied for the county bursaries.
He pledged to work together with all the education stakeholders in the county and beyond to ensure quality and standards of education are uplifted to help shape the learners preparing them to contribute towards building the county and the nation.
“I call on all the education stakeholders’ ranging from all the members of the national and county assembly, teachers, government officials, board of managers and parents to join hands together to help realize quality education in schools within the county and for our children yearning to better their future through education.” He pleaded.
He noted that education is the biggest asset a nation can give its people.
“My government shall continue to invest in the education sector because it is our mandate as a government to do so in order to bridge the gap that arises by delayed disbursement of funds by the national government to schools by keeping the learning institutions running since I understand the challenges you face in management of the schools.” Said Ochilo.
He however noted that despite the county government only receiving capitation up to January, the county government has managed to release bursaries to schools in order to keep our children in school and pay salaries adding that bursaries for tertiary college students are currently being processed and will soon be released.
He also applauded teachers for organizing KESSHA meetings annually, saying it provides avenues for schools heads to share about emerging challenges in the running of learning institutions and also with education stakeholders.
He however challenged teachers to strive to find other forms of employment or activities to keep themselves occupied especially after retirement with the aim of changing the world for good.
“As long as you have breath, continue to influence that which you were called to do even after you have retire from employment since knowledge never retires.” He said.
Governor Ayacko was accompanied by County Ex Committee Members in the department of Finance and Economic Planning, Maurice Otunga (former St. Josephs school-Rapogi Chief Principal), Department of Health’s Julius Awuor Nyerere (former Kuja Deaf Secondary School Principal), Caleb Opondi (former KNUT Migori Branch Executive Secretary) and Chief Officer for Education in Migori County Government, Prof. Rose Odhiambo, also a former teacher.
The KESSHA national conference will be convened in the month of June in Mombasa this year when schools break for half-term.
By Norah Musega
museganorah@gmail.com
