Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akello Misori was on Saturday afternoon forced to cut short his speech after a section of teachers began heckling him during a Walimu na Rais forum at State House, Nairobi.
The incident occurred when Misori was invited to the podium to address the meeting between teachers about 10, 000 teachers and President William Ruto.
The backlash ensued after the KUPPET boss proposed the interrogation of some education frameworks touching on the designation of Junior Secondary School (JSS) in primary institutions.
"As much as we have more affordability in our schools, something that has been ignored and must be interrogated further is the domiciling of our Junior Secondary Schools in Primary Schools," Misori said.
Following Misori's sentiments, a section of the teachers could be seen waving their hands in objection.
However, the KUPPET boss downplayed the objections and decided to continue with his speech, emphasising the need for the transfer of JSS to Senior Secondary Schools.
The heckling escalated, forcing Misori to cut short his speech, with some teachers calling on the KUPPET boss to leave the stage following his controversial sentiments.
To quell the situation, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok quickly intervened and calmed down the agitated teachers before the KUPPET Secretary General was handed back the microphone.
The disruption lasted for about five minutes as Bitok struggled to calm down the educators "Order! His Excellency has heard you! Let us be quiet, we need order. The president has already heard you," Bitok was heard saying.
Meanwhile, at State House, Ruto met over 10,000 teachers and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Kenya's education to drive transformation in the critical sector.
During the meeting, the Head of State also addressed concerns over the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), further revealing that the government had hired over 76,000 teachers.
"That is not all. We have built 23,000 classrooms, established the Open University of Kenya, and introduced a student-centred higher education funding model that supports learners while increasing resources for universities and TVETs," the President disclosed.
