Lift ban on holiday tuition, says senator

West Pokot, Kenya: West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo has called on the Ministry of Education to review its directive that banned all schools from conducting holiday tuition.

The senator said the ministry needs to consider lifting this ban because the current teachers shortage is making it difficult for learners to cover the syllabus within the set school time.

Lonyangapuo said the shortage stands at about 80,000 and said the Government needs to embark on an aggressive recruitment of primary and secondary school teachers saying this will improve quality of education offered to learners.

He said Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and his Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang are to blame for "messing up with the education system" and urged them to review their strategies.

"I am advocating a review of the law and asking the government to invest in employing more teachers without which, they should not harass tutors conducting tuition because they are only trying to cover the syllabus," he said.

The senator was speaking yesterday at Karenger village in Kapenguria when he inspected agricultural projects that he has initiated.

He challenged MCAs to "stop wasting resources" making foreign trips to learn farming technologies which they can learn locally.