Parents and pupils shop for books at Savani’s Book Centre in Nairobi, on
December 29, 2017 ahead of the re-opening of schools on Tuesday, a day
after Kenyans celebrate New Year. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA
GROUP
Schools are set to open in three days for the 2018 year. And for
the first time, those joining day secondary schools will get free
education.
However, the new term comes under a cloud of
uncertain caused by the looming mass transfers of teachers, which has
led them to warn their employer of a possible strike unless the decision
is rescinded.
Over 500 head teachers have also been marked for transfer and some have gone to court to stop the Teachers Service Commission from moving them.
When they appeared before Judge David Majanja on Friday, he referred the matter to the Labour Court.
There
is also confusion among some parents on the amount they will be
required pay for their children in day secondary schools following the
offer by the government to start free day secondary education. Whereas
schools are expected to comply with the directive, there are some that
have sent fees structure to parents, an indication that they intend to
charge fees.
NEW CURRICULUM
The Ministry of Education has also been racing to introduce a
new curriculum, which is expected to reduce emphasis on examination.
Should
it be implemented in the new term, the new system will play up the
strengths of every individual learner so as to nurture their unique
competencies.
However, the move has met some resistance with some teachers saying they are not adequately prepared to implement it.
Among
the other challenge that parents and learners will be facing as they
seek to start a new academic year are the high fares charged by public
transport vehicles.
Usually,
the first week of January is a busy period for public transport as
workers travel back to towns after spending Christmas and New Year
holidays upcountry.
The
pressure to travel across the country is likely to put a strain on
learners and their parents due to the high demand for public transport
and the high fares that this entails.
RAISE MONEY
Considering
that schools have been closed since October, parents will also be hard
pressed to raise money for fees, buying books and uniforms and other
necessities that their children need to return to school.
An
opinion poll released on Thursday indicated that for many Kenyans, the
high cost of living in 2017 was one of their biggest worries.
This
is likely to impact on parents’ ability to meet the educational needs
of their children coming so soon after a prolonged electioneering period
that depressed economic growth.
During
the campaigns for the August and October presidential elections,
President Uhuru Kenyatta said his government would roll out free day
secondary school education if Jubilee was re-elected.
The
opposition, Nasa, had made a similar pledge. Now, the rubber of promise
will be meeting the road of implementation when schools re-open next
week.
Under new guidelines
released recently, the government scrapped the Sh9,374 that each student
in public schools was to pay per year.
BOARDING
A
new circular says that the government will pay Sh22,224 for each
student effective January. Whether this money will be released in the
first week of the term, or will be delayed as has been the case in past
years, remains to be seen.
Boarding
school students are also expected to receive a similar amount. However,
parents will be required to pay for boarding and other infrastructural
projects. Already the government has allocated Sh25 billion for the
programme.
According to the
Ministry of Education, for national and county schools in category A,
students will pay Sh53,554 per year while students in Category B
boarding and extra-county schools will be required to pay Sh40,535 per
year.
If the policy is
implemented successfully, parents with children in day secondary schools
will only be required to buy school uniforms and pay for lunch for the
day scholars.
PAY MORE
On Friday, several parents whom the Nation spoke to said they were yet to know if schools will ask them to pay more money than recommended by the governments directives.
“We
are yet to know if schools will follow the government’s directives and
allow our children in day schools to learn without paying an amount of
school fees,” said Mr James Muringo, a parent.
On
the massive transfer of teachers, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)
has said it came up with a policy last term that proposed mass
transfers starting January.
However, the Kenya Union of Teachers has been against the policy, terming it as ill advised.
Knut
Secretary-General Wilson Sossion early this week said any policy by the
TSC must be agreed upon by unions before it is implemented.
“The
transfers must be discussed and agreed upon. We had started the talks
with TSC but had not concluded them,” said Mr Sossion.
When contacted by the Nation over the same issue, Mr Sossion said: “I will give my comment on the same tomorrow.”
HOME COUNTIES
Kuppet Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima said the transfers had not been done procedurally.
The union argues that teachers are supposed to be encouraged to work in their home counties.
The
Kenya Primary school Head Teachers Association (Kepsha) chairman Shem
Ndolo on Friday said they are not opposed to the mass transfers.
“That is a government policy and we cannot defy directives,” said Mr Ndolo.
According
to TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia, head teachers and deputies who
have overstayed in a station for more than nine years are the ones who
have received transfer letters.
The
teachers are supposed to start reporting to their new schools on Monday
ahead of the re-opening of schools the following day.
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