Outgoing Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed. Kuppet has congratulated her
for being named Education CS and officials say they are ready to work
with her. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A teachers’ union on Saturday supported the appointment of Amina Mohammed as the Cabinet secretary for Education.
Ms
Mohammed, the outgoing Foreign Affairs CS, was on Friday nominated to
head the Ministry of Education taking over from Dr Fred Matiang’i, who
becomes the new Interior CS.
SUPPORT
Kenya
Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) leaders supported the
minister, saying they were optimistic she would help solve diplomacy
issues in the ministry.
They urged
her to use her expertise in diplomacy to bring together education
stakeholders and engage on various issues affecting the sector.
“We know that she is an accomplished diplomat…we welcome her and are happy,” Kuppet Secretary-General Akello Misori told the Nation on the phone.
He said despite not being an educationist, he supported her because she was capable of delivering.
“I
do not want to undermine her; even the Late Mutula Kilonzo was a lawyer
but he did quite well in the Education Ministry,” Mr Misori said.
STRATEGY
Unlike her predecessor Dr Matiang’i, who was viewed by many as being ‘military’, Ms Mohammed is viewed as ‘soft’.
But
Mr Misori said all Ms Mohamed needed to do was to create new strategies
and structures to deal effectively with challenges at the ministry.
The
priority areas for her, he said, should be infrastructure, secondary
school transition, the new curriculum, examination cheating, cartels and
teachers’ welfare.
“She should fight
so that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) may have its budget
enhanced so as to support teachers in their work, as well as increase
their numbers in schools,” said Mr Misori.
“She
has come at a time when we are at cross road, we have not achieved 100
per cent transition rate and still are grappling with poor
infrastructure and a new curriculum. It is upon her to get her act
right,” Mr Misori said.
EXAMS
Kuppet
Chairman Omboko Milemba, who also is the Emuhaya MP, said: “We welcome
and congratulate her for the new appointment. With her diplomatic
experience and skills, she will do a good job.”
“But
we want to remind her that she should continue with reforms at the
ministry, especially the new curriculum, policy and localisation of
teachers,” he said.
Mr Milemba also said the minister should ensure moderation during exam marking to avoid many failures.
He said for the two years Dr Matiang’i was the Education CS, there have been 95,000 Es in national examinations.
According to him, Dr Matiang’i did a great job and should have been reappointed Education CS.
“I
felt that there was no need to change Matiang’i. We had not yet seen
what he really wanted to achieve. Nevertheless, we shall give Amina our
full support,” said Mr Milemba.
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