State officials best suited to chair school boards

County Commissioners are set to provide leadership to the County Education Boards (CEB) upon the enactment of the Basic Education Bill, 2024. The bill seeks to amend the Basic Education Act, 2013.
Throughout the post independent period, District Commissioners chaired the District Education Boards (DEBs).

Under the Education Act, Cap 211, the District Commissioner was invariably the chairperson of the DEB and the District Education Officer was the secretary and executive officer, of the board.

The Basic Education Act, 2013 did not provide room for membership of the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO). This discounted any role of County Commissioners in the management of affairs concerning education in the counties.

The Basic Education Bill, 2024, which is poised to replace the Basic Education Act, 2013, will see the County Commissioner return to the boards. The bill is part of the ongoing policy and legislative reforms in accordance with the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.

The return of the County Commissioner at the centre of education and schooling at the County level has several advantages.

Education policy, standards, curricular and examinations needs interpretation and consequential enforcement at the school level. Enforcement of some of the policies, and regulations on education necessarily requires the authority, power and influence of NGAO.

Free and compulsory basic education, and managing issues that impedes children’s access to education in different parts of the country, cannot be handled without the NGAO staff playing a part.

It is only right that the County Commissioner be a member of the County Education Board, to get the handle—first hand—of the policy thrust of every aspect of education for him or her to ensure efficient and effective management of the issues at hand.

NGAO staff has been at the centre of the management of national examinations, the 100 per cent transition policy, fighting teenage pregnancy and early marriages in some regions.

These fights are done in the context of ensuring access, equity and quality education. NGAO will now have a rounded picture of the foundations and implications of the policies they are helping to enforce through membership in County Education Boards.

The County Directors of Education and their officers at the sub-county levels regularly consult County Commissioners on matters which touch the safety and health of learners. Enforcement of certain regulations concerning the safety and health of learners cannot be done without the involvement of County Commissioners.

The enforcement of policies on strict adherence on school hours which bans provision of tuition outside the stipulated hours, days and the school calendar, ultimately depends on the County Commissioners.
Sitting in County Education Boards will help them to appreciate the logic of most of the policies, programmes and initiatives the Boards are steering. They have at their command, the structures necessary to implement them without demur.

Another advantage of the enlistment of NGAO in County Education Boards is that they are able to rally other government departments to support the boards in solving certain problems a basic education institution might be facing.

The County Commissioner is always available in the County in person. All the County Director of education needs to do is to walk to his or her office, request for support to implement a resolution CEB made concerning an issue, or a problem that has persistently faced an area or a school.
County Commissioners have the capacity and the infrastructure to change the trajectory of education in an area.

In any case, education is at the core of everything the state or government does in a County. Education feeds into everything. Security, public health, development of any kind.

It is only right that the County Commissioners, the symbol of National Government out there, sit in County Education Boards.

—The writer is the Communication Officer, Ministry of Education —[email protected]