Primary school heads welcome changes in teaching calendar

Joseph Masha

KILIFI,KENYA: Primary school head teachers in the country have resolved to make use of the extended teaching time in the education calendar to ensure syllabus is covered and children prepared adequately for the coming national examination.

The national chairman of Kenya Primary Schools Head teachers Association (KEPSHA) Mr. Joseph Karuga said teachers are not feeling offended for the teaching time extended by the government to cover the lost time during the teachers' national strike

Mr. Karuga and different stakeholders in the education sector held a consultative meeting with the top officials of the Ministry of Education and Kenya National Examination Council and agreed as a team that the wasted time during strike be recovered by extending the time in the education calendar.

“The move by the government to extend the wasted time during the national strike was deliberated on by all the stakeholders in the education sector including KEPSHA before a common understanding was arrived at and the time will be recovered," said Mr. Karuga

Mr. Karuga made the remarks when he addressed head teachers of Kilifi County who are attending a workshop on the implementation of education for sustainable developments in schools.

The chairman said the idea of the teachers going for the strike was not to punish children but away to open negotiations with the government to adjust their allowances.

“Teachers should not be seen as people who have no interest on education, strike is one of the avenues to reason with the government in improving salaries, we will continue using every avenue to defend our rights,” said Mr Karuga.

He said head teachers had resolved to work in unity with teachers to ensure wasted time during the strike was fully recovered to prepare children for coming national exams.

He at the same time announced rescheduling of the annual delegates’ conference for the Kenya head teachers association now to be held between 31st of august and 5th of September this year.

Mr Karuga said the association could not go ahead and conduct the Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) forum at Sheik Zayeed in Mombasa as it had been planned earlier as it had to give the heads time to settle and reorganize their school activities before they attend the meeting.

“The interruption caused by the national strike of teachers has forced us to adjust our timetable, we have resolved to hold our ADC meeting in Mombasa between 31st august and 5th September this year,” he said.

The national chairman admitted that the change of the date for the annual delegate conference meeting for the teachers had affected the association in terms of budgetary costs but still that will not hinder them from holding the important forum for the heads.