Kilifi, KENYA: Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) national chairman Mudzo Nzili has assured parents that teachers will not join doctors, lectures and nurses in their ongoing strike.
Nzili said the Union has been going on several strikes independently and for now their focus is not to join anyone on strike but to make teacher’s welfare better.
He was speaking at Chasimba Secondary School in Kilifi South Constituency during a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a model science laboratory on Wednesday.
“We have gone on strikes since 1963 but we have never seen doctors or any other workers joining us,” said Nzili.
He said nothing can deter education reforms saying the new system is the best for children as it provides the solution to the main challenges in education, such as examination irregularities and students committing suicide due to poor performances.
He asked parents in the Coast region to support the system.
The Chairman said parents should know that the National Government through the Ministry of Education is ready to eradicate all the negative consequences which were as a result of many loopholes in the national examinations.
“The Ministry of Education has the best brains because they were keen to ensure a Kenyan child is not affected by the national examinations,” said the chairman.
“Parents should now be prepared to improve infrastructure and other needs in school because nothing is going to stop the new system from being executed.” He added.
He said KNUT will support every efforts by the government to ensure there is quality education.
However, Dr. Titus Kadere, Chairperson Board of Management Chasimba Secondary school faulted the directive by the Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i that parents would pay a standard school fees saying he was not considerate of some crucial issues.
Kadere said the ministry is supposed to involve all the stakeholders as most schools are undergoing financial constraints.
“This is a growing economy, the ministry could have done a lot of research before it issues out such a directive. It could have considered the degree of inflation, status of the schools, challenges in the community and the schools’ budget not forgetting their allocation for schools is always late,” said Dr. Kadere.
Moreover, Kilifi County Education Board Chairman Professor Gabriel Katana said the government is discouraging extra levies in schools which has seen most of the children not attend classes.
