Little to celebrate as Kenya marks global teachers' day

A teacher in a class Migori Muslim Primary School in January 2019. [File, Standard]

As the world celebrates on the World Teachers' Day, 2020 has presented teachers with painful consequences with little to celebrate about.

The pandemic has forced millions of teachers out of work with many opting to take up any job in the informal sector to meet their daily needs. The quick turnaround in a normal situation rendered about 1.6 billion children out of school.  

In Kenya, the World Teachers' Day also coincides with the reopening of tertiary institutions which will take in final year students as directed by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

“Following broad-based consultations, the Ministry of Education notifies the public that the progressive re-opening of education institutions will start with the re-opening of universities and tertiary institutions with effect from Monday 5, October 2020,” read a statement from the CS.

The institutions are required to enforce strict observance of Covid-19 measures including monitoring of body temperature.

This year has also shipped teachers to a weird limbo where the normal physical lessons were impossible due to Covid-19 and the digital method of conducting classes was a high dangling fruit far from their reach.

Speaking during the celebrations at the Kenya National Union of Teacher (KNUT) headquarters, KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion has blamed TSC for failing to treat tutors and their unions with dignity.