Kuppet wants ministry to stop crackdown, closure of schools
Irene Githinji and Seth Mwaniki
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) yesterday demanded that the ongoing closure of schools deemed unsafe be halted.
This came as the union accused the government of failing to provide quality education. Kuppet secretary general Akello Misori asked Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha to first clean his office by dealing with corrupt officials, who have been compromising on quality.
Misori claimed the quality assurance department is crippled by contradictory policies that have rendered established standards redundant.
“Prof Magoha must punish quality assurance officers who allowed unsafe schools to operate and publish the existing standards for education stakeholders to evaluate,” he said at a press conference held at the union’s office in Nairobi.
Misori raised concern that Nairobi has about 70 public schools, which are expected to serve more than two million children.
Misori said school closures are unnecessarily disruptive for learners and parents.
Elsewhere, education officials yesterday indefinitely closed Kiganjo-Amboni secondary school in Nyeri over poor infrastructure and lack of qualified teachers.
Threaten safety
At the same time, the government has shut down 12 more schools in Changamwe.
Most of the affected schools are in slum areas, and include St. Benedict and St. Agatha in Bangladesh area.
Mombasa Education director Moses Makori said the schools were in deplorable conditions that threatened the safety and security of learners. Additional reporting by Harrison Kivisu
