Why Parents Want Ruto to Retain Magoha as Education CS

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha addressing the media on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha addressing the media on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
Twitter
Ministry of Education

With exactly five days to President-elect William Ruto taking the oath of office and succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta, parents have urged the new administration to retain Education Cabinet Secretary George Omore Magoha.

The National Parents Association (NPA) on Thursday, September 8, argued that Magoha would be pivotal in ensuring a smooth transition for grade six students to Junior Secondary School.

Parents representatives led by Nicholas Maiyo added that Magoha's hand on management approach would help his administration fulfil his Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). 

They also lauded Magoha for revamping the country's education system from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and introducing the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).

President-elect William Ruto (left) greets former Education CS George Magoha at a past function.
President-elect William Ruto (left) greets former Education CS George Magoha at a past function.
File

The system allows parents to easily institute school transfers, monitor performance in real-time and follow updates on the school's infrastructure development.

"We humbly request him to retain Prof Magoha as Education CS to complete the good work that he is doing," Nicholas Maiyo stated.

"The CS is hands-on and acts on issues raised immediately. He is a good administrator. If it is possible for him to continue working for some time, we have no problem," he added.

According to NPA appointing someone else with no experience in CBC would water down the progress Magoha had made in the country's education system.

They thus urged Ruto to address the hitches raised by different stakeholders to improve CBC.

Magoha already expressed his willingness to work under Ruto's administration if accorded maximum support. He added that he would gladly accept the appointment if his policies align with the Kenya Kwanza government.

However, Gilgil Member of Parliament Martha Wangari, affiliated with Kenya Kwanza, dismissed Magoha's endorsement stating that the CS had caused confusion in the country's education system.

Wangari added that with the current CBC structure, parents and schools had lost a clear plan for the school's calendar.

Her sentiments came days after former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion addressed claims of being fronted to succeed Magoha.

Wilson Sossion shakes hands with President William Ruto in this file photo
Wilson Sossion shakes hands with President William Ruto in this file photo
Facebook

Sossion dismissed claims that he had lobbied for that position reiterating that only Ruto will decide if he is fit to take over from Magoha.

"The president decides who serves where. I do not have, any pre-election agreement on that particular job and we do not lobby, the president will decide where you will serve," he stated.

"My business was to support Kenya Kwanza in its philosophy of the bottom-up economic model. It was in drafting the charter and I’m happy because the charter is good for education and teachers," he added.

Ruto, during the campaign period, expressed his willingness to engage education stakeholders to come up with a system that best fits the country.