University boss challenges State to hire more teachers

Kitui, Kenya: Kitui’s South Eastern Kenya University (Seku) Vice Chancellor Geoffrey Muluvi has challenged the Jubilee administration to provide enough teachers to schools to minimise the teaching workload and enable teachers to perform effectively.

Prof Muluvi said the Government should also provide schools with learning resources to improve academic performance.

He said teachers should be offered opportunities and more exposure through in-service programmes.

“This would encourage teachers’ professional growth, which will translate to better performance in exams,” the VC said.

Speaking during the Mwingi Central district education day at Mwingi Boys Secondary School in Kitui County, Muluvi told head teachers to be on the frontline in supervising  teaching-learning processes and to make the necessary interventions.

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The VC said the key challenges facing the education sector in the county were high poverty, continued drought, understaffing, inadequate physical facilities, shortage of quality of assurance and standards officers, and lack of reliable means of transport.

The VC cautioned students against drugs and substance abuse, indiscipline, laziness and lack of seriousness in academic matters.

The local District Education Officer Abdiraham Godad decried unrest in primary schools in Mwingi Central Constituency where parents who incite their children against teachers over alleged invasion of ghosts in their schools.

Godad warned such behaviour would not be condoned and asked teachers who have been affected by the conflicts to report the matters to police to facilitate appropriate action.

Local MP Joe Mutambu said Sh20 million, which is 25 per cent of his Sh80 million CDF allocation, would go to the education sector in his constituency.

Mutambu said his committee was giving education the first priority.