By Ben Leshau
Leaders and teacher unions in Narok have opposed the transfer of teachers by the Ministry of Education saying local teachers understand the problems on the ground.
They said new teachers might not understand the area well.
Led by Narok West MP Gabriel Tong’oyo , Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Executive secretary Charles Ng’eno and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) counterpart Paul Lepore said transferring local teachers will disadvantage them.
“To Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) counties like Narok we need local solutions to our local education problems,” said Tong’oyo.
Speaking at Moi Naikarra Secondary school during the Narok West sub-county Education Day, the MP said during the recent Pastoral Parliamentarians Conference held in Mombasa they (legislators) agreed that tailor-made solutions should be given to the pastoral areas.
The MP said: “Let the government improve infrastructure such as schools, roads and employ more teachers too. Currently we have a shortage of about 1,000 teachers and transferring the few we have might put us in jeopardy.”
The unionists echoed the MP’s sentiments saying due to the harsh terrains in the county, most teachers from outside might not be comfortable working in the area saying the local teachers are more suitable to work in their home areas.
“Most of the schools here have no teachers’ quarters. The government should not just rush to implement a policy without consulting the stakeholders. The much-anticipated excellence might remain a mirage with the current under staffing,” said Lepore.
The teacher representatives have also decried lack of motivation among teachers leading to poor performance as witnessed during the recently released KCSE examinations where no candidate obtained an A in the entire county.
Ng’eno has however asked the legislator to push for a special attention of the pastoral schools to be exempted from the delocalisation saying under-staffing especially in secondary schools was alarming.
