Assure teachers of their security in hot spots

Education is a basic right for every Kenyan child. The Government, parents, guardians, politicians and the society are responsible for their education. That is why when the Narc government introduced free primary education in 2003, Kenya earned global acclaim.

Initially, the public education system was overwhelmed as pupils came to school in huge numbers. Many sceptics argued that it would not be possible and that the stretched facilities and human resources would drastically lower the quality of education.

Despite the teething problems, President Kibaki’s administration remained adamant and the system gradually got its footing. Hundreds of thousands of youth, who would not have had an education, got a chance of a lifetime. Today, they have hope of a better future assured by a basic education and many will also get an opportunity to further their studies. With the stroke of the pen, the Narc government changed many people’s lives for the better.

Now, in a report published elsewhere in this newspaper, about ten schools in Baringo South remain closed due to persistent bandit raids and rising insecurity. Some 2,000 learners have been out of school since the first term began. They have lost nearly two months of learning, and they won’t ask; where is the government?

Majority of teachers in the contested Kapedo area have fled citing insecurity. They have now joined their colleagues from the troubled North Eastern, asking for transfers. The teachers have filed a petition with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) listing a chronology of attacks since February 2013.
This begs the question: Where has the Ministry of Education been all this time? The ministry should have assessed the security risks teachers in troubled regions are facing and explore solutions. Why has the government and security agencies been silent on the threat to life for teachers in the hot spots? What are they doing to secure and assure the teachers of their safety? Majority of teachers are willing to return to their work stations, but there are reports of some being attacked and forced to move out.

In the shocking report, teachers from Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, also narrated how some politicians are allegedly using schools to offer citizenship to foreigners, mostly from Somalia. The trick is that the aliens register as pupils in schools, but only return at the end of the year to sit national examinations. With the results slips and school leaving certificates, they are able to acquire Kenyan national identity cards. How is this being allowed to happen with all the threat Kenya faces from terrorism? There are also claims of amassing weapons from the lawless neighbouring Somalia, which the authorities must urgently unearth and punish the culprits.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, the TSC, the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers must now take the lead and find a solution for troubled areas. The learners have lost valuable time and the national examinations are fast approaching.

Threatening the teachers with the sack or intimidating them over their salaries will only fuel their frustrations. Majority of them are dedicated teachers willing to impart knowledge and change lives. They are only asking for a conducive environment to do their work. By allowing politics to play out in the open on the issue of teachers working far away from their counties, a dangerous trend could be emerging and the country will be the biggest loser.

We, therefore, urge elected leaders to cut their rhetoric on the issue and instead offer suggestions to the ministry and the TSC. Issuing seemingly divisive statements in the media and demanding the sack for teachers who have declined to return to their schools will only fuel acrimony and disorient them. It is foolhardy and even self-defeating to wish that all teachers should hail from one’s home-county. Again, let all stakeholders seek a solution and ensure the safety of pupils and teachers is guaranteed.

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