Govt. urged to seek permanent solution to teachers strike
The Kenyan government has been challenged to come up with a long lasting solution to the perennial problem of teachers strike in the country like the one witnessed recently to avoid distracting learners from their course work.
Bungoma County Secondary Schools Heads Association vice chairman Patrick Wandili said the strike’s occurrence in third term has definitely affected the learners as they would not consecutively attend classes.
Wandili who is also the principal of St Luke’s Kimilili Boys’ High School proposed to the government to strike a durable deal with the teachers, to keep on revising their salaries after some years and motivate the teachers and their unions in the noble career.
However he expressed his dissatisfaction with some people who indulge in matters of education yet they are not stakeholders saying matters of education should not be politicized but strictly be left to the people concerned to seek out arising issues.
Regarding examination he said his candidates are psyched up to undertake the examination despite the teachers strike as they were revising on their own having completed the syllabus in first term and embarked on a serious revision exercise.
He however cautioned them against engaging in examination malpractices and to follow the rules set by the Kenya National Examination Council to govern the examination.
He also applauded the KNEC for moving in swiftly in case of any hitches in the examinations countrywide by providing alternative papers.
“We are optimistic that the students have been adequately prepared to sit for the national examinations and we do not expect to encounter any cases of malpractices as they are themselves confident of passing the exams” he said
Mr. Wandili disagreed with the proposal to have form four certificates be collected from the Sub County Education Offices rather than the schools themselves saying some candidates have fees arrears in school and will take advantage of the situation not to clear the balances.
He said this will leave the burden to the schools making it hard for them to operate.
