Kwale, KENYA: Public schools in Kwale county have expressed fears of closing down due to lack of funds to run the schools.
Speaking with journalists at the Kwale information offices on Wednesday, KUPPET secretary Mackenzie John Tuki, blamed the government for not completing its mandate on time.
“Am blaming the government for delaying the first term school money. This is because the schools cannot run without funds since the school suppliers distribute facilities to the school,” said Mackenzie.
He claimed that the situation in schools has greatly affected the running of the normal school programmes which include feeding the students.
“Schools are in a hard situation now due to lack of money; students’ needs cannot be met since there is no money. We cannot let the students stay in school when there are no basic requirements,” Mackenzie echoed.
He said this may lead to the closure of the schools if the government is not going to act swiftly on the matter.
Tuki further also opposed the Education CS Matiangi’s order of removing all the teachers who are not trained or registered with the Teachers Service Commission.
He said the order has contributed to an increase in teachers’ shortage in Kwale County, an issue that may lead to poor performance of the region in the national examinations.
“Already the teachers in the county work in areas of hardships and are not subjected to hardship allowances, the government must fulfill all its promises and not just empty promises,” he insisted.
Tuki added that already schools in the county were facing a shortage of teaching staff, as some institutions have only one TSC registered teacher; the head teacher.
“How can one teacher comply with the vast number of students in a school especially where one TSC teacher is available? The government must keep strategies before giving an order.” Tuki emphasized.
However, the County Director of Education Mrs. Bridget Wambua, told Baraka FM that she has not received any complaints from head teachers concerning the delay of funds.
“To be sincere there is no principal who has come here to complain, I have not heard anything about the claimed delay so far, ” she noted.
