By Peter Otuoro
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Sub-county directors have elaborated the challenges facing teachers in the various regions of Kenya in the process of conducting their duties.
In a heated discussion that lasted for two hours, sub county directors from various regions revealed the challenges facing teachers and possible solutions to those challenges that can enable the teachers to have a conducive environment to work well and provide quality service for teaching Kenyan children.
Over 300 TSC sub county Directors (SCDs) are attending a five-day training on the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Programme (SEQIP) at ARC Hall at Egerton University, Nakuru County.
They have said quality service will allow the learners to be retained at schools and proceed with their education.
Sub county TSC Directors from Lamu County in Coast region highlight the insecurity situation that have caused many teachers to fear working in Lamu especially in Lamu East where the famous Boni forest is situated.
One of the Sub County Directors in Lamu County said that the teachers are usually airlifted by KDF helicopters to the five schools which are in Lamu East where they stay for the whole term before they are carried again by the same KDF helicopter when the school closes.
He said the situation has made many teachers to fear teaching in the region as he request the TSC to reduce the government policy that require all teachers who are teaching in those areas to teach in those schools for five consecutive years
“The government should reduce the numbers of years that teachers should teach in Lamu County from five years to three years so to attract many teachers who will be willing to be teaching there”, he said.
On their side, Sub county Directors from arid and semi-arid regions urged the government to introduce a school feeding programme in all schools in order to increase learner enrolment in schools which have currently reduced.
“Putting in to consideration the drought situation in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya, the school enrolment have greatly reduce, we urged the government to introduce school feeding programme in order to increase learners enrolment in those schools and give them opportunity to proceed with their education”, said one of the sub county Directors from arid and semi-arid region.
While contributing to the debate about challenges facing teachers and learners retention, one of the directors from West Pokot confirmed that when school feeding programme was being introduced to all schools in West Pokot ,the student enrolment was high but when the programme stopped, school enrolment drop and many students are currently not going to school.
The Sub-county director s also urged the County TSC office and Ministry of Internal security to improve security situations in schools in order to remove fear from teachers, students and parents and allow them to take their children to schools and teachers to work without fear for their lives.
“All schools in security prone areas should be given maximum security to enable teachers and learners to attend their lessons without fearing for their lives” said one of the sub county directors from the region.
They also requested TSC to increase the remuneration of teachers teaching in hardship areas especially Lamu, West Pokot, Baringo, Turkana, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir in order to attract more teachers who would like to be posted in those regions which will in turn facilitate schools in those regions to have enough teachers and reduce understaffing.
The sub-county directors also encourage teachers in all Kenyans schools to enhance child friendly environments to retain learners in schools.
“Child friendly environment will enhance the smooth transition of learners from ECDE to lower primary, to upper primary and to secondary schools”, said one of the Sub-county directors.
