Ongeri to face head teachers as ministry woes pile up

By Augustine Oduor

Education Minister Sam Ongeri will on Tuesday be on the spot as he faces about 5,000 secondary school head teachers to explain the loss of Sh4.6 billion meant for the Free Primary Education.

Teachers who converged at the Wild Waters Resort in Mombasa said they were embarrassed by the manner in which senior education officials have engaged in blame games at the expense of taking responsibility over the lost cash.

“Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a great day because we will expect the minister to explain the loss of the funds. We will direct all questions about the ministry at him. We know the mood in the country and we also expect answers from the top ministry officials,” said John Awiti, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KSSHA) national vice chairman.

expectations

Similar sentiments were expressed by Nathan Barasa, the national chairman of the Parents Association. He said parents across the country want to hear from the minister how the cash was stolen and why action has not been taken against the culprits.

 “We will be waiting keenly to hear what he has to say. It is embarrassing how teachers are perceived in the eyes of the public,” he said.

Mr Cleophas Tirop, KSSHA chairman, said heads must roll at the ministry.  He said: “If he does not take action, then we shall also demand his resignation,” Tirop said.

He said it was useless for the ministry to talk of reforms if people at the ministry cannot take responsibility over their actions.

Director of Secondary and Tertiary Education Robert Masese was taken to task to explain why the agreed 30:20:10 disbursement formula has taken time to implement with only little cash sent to school accounts. He was booed when he said cash would be disbursed by July or August.