By Enock Kipturgut
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called upon Kenyans to give the right information to the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
The union’s National Secretary Tertiary Institutions Sammy Chelimo Chelang’a argued that the good proposals will give the government guidelines on how to review CBC and other issues affecting the education sector.
Speaking during the prayer day ceremony for Grade 6 and Standard 8 candidates at Jawabu School in Nakuru, Chelang’a noted that the union fully supports the taskforce and that he hopes the government will listen to the opinions and the professional input of teachers who are the main implementers of the new curriculum.
He lauded President William Ruto for initiating a task force so that Kenyans can participate in the decision making process that suits pupils and students.
“CBC is not bad. However, how it was handled is wrong,” he said, adding that the government implemented the new curriculum without consulting key education stakeholders.
He went on to add that the pioneer Grade 6 candidates are ready to sit for their Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exams and join junior secondary school in January 2023 yet the schools do not have enough classrooms.
“Secondary schools are congested due to the government’s 100 percent transition policy,” he said.
On delocalization of teachers, Chelang’a lauded the national assembly for its move to stop the delocalization policy.
He revealed that many teachers have suffered since the introduction of the policy as they couldn’t bear the challenge of separation from their families.
“Teachers Service Commission rushed to implement the policy without the involvement of teachers unions,” he said.
He went on to add that the plight of teachers and the human face of TSC must be seen during the implementation of policies.
“The family set up is paramount. It’s a small unit of the society where we have seen family disintegration because of delocalization,” he added.
He called on TSC to consider the issue of teachers’ health noting that there are some teachers who have conditions which require them to be close to their care givers.
He also urged the commission to look into the age of teachers before any transfers are made, adding that most teachers have been transferred yet they are close to retirement.
Mr Chelang’a commended the government for improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres, adding that the government has shifted focus from knowledge based to skill based curriculum.
