The Government has been asked to restructure the hiring and distribution of teachers at all levels countrywide to avoid present imbalances where some areas have severe shortages while others are overstaffed.
Parents in Embu County also want professional management of the education sector to ensure that all parts of the country were treated equally when it comes to allocation of funds, distribution of teachers and equipping of institutions.
Commenting on claims by some legislators that the hiring and promotion of teachers and other civil servants seemed to favour some regions through political patronage, the parents said that fairness in the education was needed because it shaped future foundations of nationalism.
The parents mainly members of various schools committees at constituency levels in Manyatta, Runyenjes, Mbeere South and Mbeere North asked the Government to realise that with the education sector getting the largest chunk of the budget accountability, transparency and equity remain a prerequisite.
John Muturi from Mbeere South, Joseph Mbogo from Mbeere North, Peter Kamau and Hannah Mwangi from Runyenjes and Manyatta said unless all Kenyan children were exposed to equal learning opportunities, skilled manpower inequalities would continue nationally.
The parents noted that although different institutions appreciated favorable allocation of special funds and projects from the Government and the private sector, unless fairness was set as the foundation, some areas were bound to lag behind others in education and general development.
‘’Fair distribution of teachers, funds and equipment from the Government and the private sector will ensure that learners in Kenya gain equal education chances opportunities across the board,” said Kamau.
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The parents noted that it was unfortunate that a large number of schools in Embu County grappled with teachers’ shortages amid a growing population of teachers who graduated from colleges and universities but remained unemployed.
Despite budgetary allocations and assurances by the cabinet secretary that more teachers would be hired, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had failed to move with speed to employ adequate teachers.
The Embu parents lamented that inadequate distribution of teachers in some schools in area will force parents to return to their pockets to raise extra funds for hire of teachers privately.
The parents wondered where the funds allocated to the TSC to hire teachers through national budget allocation went to.
“We shall continue to seek for accountability in the funds and fair distribution of teachers to all parts of the country fairly and our questions and protests should not be taken as empty attacks and criticisms to the Kenya Kwanza government,” said Mwangi.
The parents drawn from Embu also wondered how the Government expected the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) to become a success yet teachers, equipment among other shortages continued to affect schools.
“The CBC remains skills based requiring adequate and highly skilled teachers especially for JSS, yet the Government continues to take inadequacy of teachers for granted,” noted Mojo.
The parents wondered why the government was hesitant to relocate the JSS to secondary schools where there were teachers, workshops, laboratories and classrooms which could be shared to ensure all students benefitted from learning.
They asked the Government to consider provision of learning materials digitally throughout the country to ensure that where books, teachers and other requisite equipment lacked, learners could be guided by the few teachers available and even their parents.
A section of school Principals and teachers drawn from Manyatta Sub-county in Embu listen to speeches during a recent mentorship forum at Kangaru School, Embu County.
By Robert Nyagah
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