The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have opposed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's proposal to devolve education to counties.
Speaking during a public event on Tuesday, August 19, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu warned that teachers will be forced to protest if the proposal sails through.
While making the case against the transfer, Oyuu pointed to the struggling health and Early Childhood Development sectors that were transferred under the management of the 47 counties.
The SG noted that the government should focus more on streamlining the sector, particularly by addressing the issues raised by teachers, rather than considering devolving it.
"You cannot devolve education in this country. We shall be outside there in unity and solidarity because these two teams are very strong, for example, look at the state of ECDs. The quality of education in the ECD lacks what we call quality assurance," Oyuu said.
Furthermore, KNUT warned that the devolution of the sector will also compromise the smooth rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE), which is still in its early stages.
On the other hand, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori warned that transferring education from the national government to the devolved units will, as a result, undermine the progress the sector has made over the years and lead to less infrastructural development in schools.
"We must go on record that teachers of this country will not accept any attempt to devolve education because you have seen it all over that other sectors that have been transferred to the countries have all collapsed, such as the health sector," Misori said.
"Remember that in the 2010 constitutions, teachers sought the independence of the Teachers Service Commission and to establish a body that would unify the teaching profession in terms of discipline and professional standards of teachers," he added.
Raila's Proposal
Speaking at the 13th National Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, Raila claimed that the time has come to transfer the management of primary and secondary schools from the national government to county governments.
According to Raila, this would relieve pressure on the national government, particularly on members of the executive.
"We must break the cycle of managing schools from far away in Nairobi. The time has come to devolve education up to secondary school. It makes no sense for a Cabinet Secretary for Education to travel to Marsabit or Garissa to inspect schools. That should be the work of governors," Raila said.
