Showdown Looms Between CS Magoha, Teachers in Mombasa

More than 7500 primary school headteachers gathered at Kenya School of Revenue Administration in Mombasa starting on Monday, December 2, for their annual conference.

The headteachers through Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) chairman, Wilfred Sossion, demanded that the government shelves its plan to procure learning materials.

“It was totally wrong to decentralise the procurement and supply of books; this is a plan to steal public money. We know those who are behind it and we shall expose them,” Sossion told journalists.

The government began the implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) on July 12, 2019, however, the rollout was marred by confusion, ill-preparedness and logistical challenges.

Headteachers During an annual Conference in 2017

Education CS George Magoha who is set to officially open the conference on Tuesday, December 3, will have to answer tough questions over the implementation of the program.

The Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association through their chairman Nicholas Gathemia promised to address the teachers shortage in the country.

“We appreciate the efforts by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to fill the gaps, but still we feel that we need to be more aggressive in addressing the problem for the sake of our children,” Gathemia told The Standard.

CS Magoha will also have to answer questions surrounding teachers salaries since the current Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) will lapse in 2021.

Prof George Magoha during a briefing on Conclusion of KCSE on November 28, 2019

The teachers also revived calls for the suspension of the National Education Management Information System (Nemis), a system that the government uses to allocate funds to schools.

“Nemis should be suspended because it is discriminating, it's not working, until when we prove its working,” Sossion pointed out.

The annual conference that is on its first day will be attended by senior directors of education, members of parliamentary education and secondary school heads.

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