The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has called for urgent action from the government to deploy teachers countrywide for learning to start in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
Reports indicated that the majority of the first cohort of Grade 7 students under the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) are yet to start learning three days after the learners reported to schools.
KNUT mounted pressure on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to deploy the tutors within the shortest time to avert further loss of class time.
"We want to ask the TSC to consider deploying these teachers very early so that the learners can have a new experience," David Obuno, Executive Secretary KNUT Kisumu branch, told the press.
Tom Anjere, Kisii County Commissioner, urged all education stakeholders to ensure that the children report to school despite the impending crisis.
"The deputy county commissioner must ensure that any child who qualifies to go to Class 7, Form 1 to find their place in school," Anjere stated.
In addition, private schools decried low turnout as Grade 7 students flocked to public schools.
"I think it is something to do with free primary education and here we have told them that we are not getting any support from the government hence we are running our own show," a principal at a local private school stated.
According to the TSC, the government recruited 30,000 teachers for JSS.
The commission was expected to deploy at least one teacher in every public primary school in the country to handle JSS.
Headteachers, however, had urged the TSC to increase the number, citing the high public school teacher-student ratio.
“We require at least 10 teachers from the government so that we can be able to handle the high school population,” Paul Eseme, deputy head teacher at Kitale School, stated.
