KUPPET warns CS Matiang’i against new education policies

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) has warned Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i against merging primary and secondary schools sharing the same compound.

KUPPET National Chairman Amboko Milemba termed the new policies by Matiang'i as capitalistic and a lie.

According to Milemba, they will demand that members of the Teachers Service Commission must hold PhD in relation to Matiang'i new policy that Secondary Heads hold Master Degrees while those heading Primary schools be holders of the first degree.

He says that in 2018 the Union will be demanding data on the promotion of teachers and pattern of promotions.

"We must be provided with the budget allocation for promotion provided by the Government through Parliament," he said.

Secretary General Akello Misori said that CS Matiang’i is moving towards the wrong direction by making ill-timed decisions.

Misori added that the CS should focus his energies towards improving local schools instead of converting National schools to day schools.

"One wonders how a student from the interior parts of the country can commute every day to the prestigious schools in Nairobi. We must stop making roadside polices.”

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion was on record saying that teachers will resist any policy that has not involved consultation; whether good or bad.

"It is a principal World over that teachers be deployed closer home. There is no conflict in teachers working closer home. Schools might not open if these issues are not solved," said Sossion.

"We must define our problems clearly. There is dictatorship in the ministry because somebody has been over worshiped," he added.

Mr Sossion termed the centralisation of textbooks as a violation of someone's rights.

"There is corruption in the offing in the name of text books. This is a clear indication that supervision has failed. We have agreed that teacher unions will unite to bring down these new policies," he said.

Sossion claimed that somebody is developing a plan at the Ministry to recruit teachers as interns for one and half years.

"The new curriculum must be done sequentially. What is being done is wrong. We haven't even seen syllabus design yet they want piloting to be done in six months, 8.4.4 was piloted for five years, let facts be told," added Sossion.

Bomet Central MP Ronald Tonui who is a member of Kuppet said Matiang’i should not take advantage of the goodwill he received in the management of exams to harass teachers.

"Let teachers and school heads work at their workstations if at all they are performing. He should concentrate on improving teachers’ welfare and employing enough teachers," said Tonui.