- The National Parents Association has petitioned Parliament to grant it stronger legal and corporate status under the Basic Education Bill, 2026.
- NPA leaders have called for the term PTA to be replaced with NPA to eliminate conflicts of interest between parents and teachers.
- The association has urged Parliament to retain CEMASTEA to support continued teacher training in mathematics, science and technology.
Parents have asked Parliament to strengthen the legal status of the National Parents Association (NPA) and replace the term Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) with Parents Association in the proposed Basic Education Bill, 2026.
Speaking while presenting a petition to the Education Committee at Maasai Mara University in Narok County, National Parents Association chairman for Narok County, Gilbert Kiprono Sang, said the current legal framework does not give the national parents’ body sufficient corporate capacity to independently manage its affairs.
Sang said the NPA should be expressly established as a body corporate with perpetual succession and the ability to sue and be sued, acquire and manage property, operate bank accounts, enter into contracts and employ staff. He said the proposed legal status would enhance accountability and give parents a stronger institutional voice in education matters. “We want an independent NPA that can sue and be sued, own property, operate independent bank accounts for transparency and accountability and employ workers,” Sang said.
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He, however, clarified that the proposed independence would not place the NPA outside government regulation, saying the association should remain subject to the Constitution, education laws, auditing requirements and relevant government oversight. The association also wants the existing structure linking school, sub-county, county and national parents’ associations retained in the 2026 legislation.
Sang further called for the replacement of the term Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), arguing that combining parents and teachers in one representative body creates a potential conflict of interest. He said parents should have a clearly defined representative structure separate from teachers’ professional and employment structures. “We want the term PTA to be replaced with NPA in the 2026 Education Bill for total protection of parents’ rights,” he said, adding that the change would also create uniformity in parent representation across public and private basic learning institutions.
The parents further asked Parliament to retain the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) in the education framework. Sang said CEMASTEA remained important in supporting teacher professional development, particularly in mathematics, science and technology, as Kenya continues implementing the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. He said retaining the institution would provide continuity in teacher training and strengthen the implementation of STEM-related learning.
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The association proposed that CEMASTEA continue working alongside other education agencies, including the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Sang urged the Education Committee to consider the proposals as Parliament reviews the Basic Education Bill, 2026, saying the changes would strengthen parent participation and provide greater clarity in the governance of basic education.
By Jeff Kirui
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