Dorcas Cheyech Lotome, Executive Secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), West Pokot Branch, has issued a back-to-school statement welcoming learners, teachers, parents and guardians back to classrooms for the new term, urging them to embrace unity, responsibility and mutual respect as the foundation for a successful school year.
Her message frames the return to school as more than a routine transition from holiday to lessons, but as a moment for the country to renew its commitment to quality education and strengthen partnerships among education stakeholders, built on the understanding that no single stakeholder can transform the sector alone.
For learners, Lotome’s statement casts the new term as another opportunity to learn, grow, discover their talents and prepare for the future, with education understood not simply as passing examinations but as developing knowledge, skills, character, confidence and the ability to make responsible decisions. That framing carries particular weight under Competency-Based Education (CBE), which expects learners to develop practical competencies such as creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, digital literacy and innovation alongside academic knowledge, requiring learners to become active participants in their own education rather than passive recipients of information.
Beyond delivering lessons, teachers are expected to identify learners’ strengths and weaknesses, provide guidance, support inclusion, manage diverse classrooms and help children navigate social and emotional challenges- responsibilities that require an enabling working environment, appropriate teaching resources, continuous professional development and meaningful engagement in decisions affecting their profession. Neither technology nor modern infrastructure nor new curricula can replace the professional judgment, mentorship and human connection a dedicated teacher provides, which is why education reforms must be matched with investment in the people implementing them.
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Parents and guardians carry equal weight in this equation, since a child’s education does not end when the school bell rings. The home remains a critical learning environment where values, attitudes, discipline and study habits are shaped, and parents are encouraged to maintain regular communication with teachers, monitor school attendance and academic progress, encourage reading and learning at home, and provide the emotional support children need — not only when a learner performs poorly or faces disciplinary problems, but as a continuous partnership around the child’s overall development. That partnership matters more given that today’s learners face pressures beyond the classroom, including social media, peer pressure, changing family circumstances, exposure to inappropriate content and emotional strain, all of which can affect concentration, behaviour and academic performance, making it necessary for schools and families to work together to create safe, supportive environments where learners can speak openly about their challenges.
Implementing CBE also requires closer cooperation between schools and homes, with parents encouraged to understand that competency-based learning emphasises learners’ abilities, talents and practical skills, and to support school activities that build those competencies rather than judging education solely by examination scores, even as education authorities ensure teachers have the resources and professional support needed to deliver the reforms effectively.
For a county such as West Pokot, this responsibility carries added significance. Educational opportunities must be expanded so that children from rural and economically disadvantaged communities are not left behind, with access to quality classrooms, digital learning, libraries, laboratories, sanitation facilities, learning materials and qualified teachers remaining critical to narrowing educational inequalities — a task requiring cooperation among government, county leadership, school administrators, teachers, parents, communities and education partners.
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Teachers’ unions also have a role to play beyond representing members’ professional and welfare interests, contributing constructively to conversations about education policy, curriculum implementation and the improvement of learning conditions, on the understanding that a strong education system is built through dialogue rather than division.
As schools reopen, the statement calls on Kenya to look beyond the immediate excitement of a new term and ask whether its education system is giving every child the opportunity to discover their potential and acquire the skills needed to thrive — an answer that depends on collective action from learners embracing discipline and hard work, teachers demonstrating professionalism and commitment, parents remaining actively involved, school administrators providing supportive environments, and government and other stakeholders providing adequate resources and policy support.
As Lotome’s message puts it, Kenya’s greatest educational investment is not simply in buildings, technology or curriculum documents, but in people — and when learners are committed, teachers are supported, and parents remain engaged, schools become powerful centres of transformation.
By Hillary Muhalya
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