CS reads riot act to education officials for sleeping on the job
Education Cabinet secretary Prof George Magoha’s yesterday read a riot act to officials in his ministry whom he accused of sleeping on their jobs at the expense of overseeing implementation of key programmes.
He said it was unacceptable that there are about 3,000 unregistered schools across the country yet there are education officials on the ground supposed to undertake routine checks on status of these institutions.
“I was ashamed to tell the President that we have closed over 2,000 unregistered schools in the country. Launching documents will not take the President anywhere... we are leaders, can we agree that we come down from the ivory tower” said the CS.
Inspect school
Adding: “Those supposed to inspect schools should do it twice or thrice a term but some have not inspected for six years... you are being paid for nothing, what do you think we should do with you for registering bad schools? That is where the problem is not on the documents.”
The CS made the remarks at the launch of National Education Sector Strategic Plan (NESSP) 2018-2022 at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and Sessional Paper.
He said it was unfortunate that work is being done below par and urges the officials to give themselves higher targets.
“You and I know that we have not achieved, when I look at the two important documents before us, truth be told, the Strategic Plan requires a mid term review and here we are thumping our chests at the end of 2019 for something that is reading 2018, then the Sessional paper should have been launched earlier,” said Magoha, who was addressing Regional and County Directors of Education.
Magoha said he will not pretend to be happy over the current status of the ministry, regretting that for the six months he has been in office, not even 25 per cent of his targets have been achieved.
He urged education officials to wake up and start serious work and do what they are supposed to, while decrying the high level of apathy in his docket.
“What is happening in the ministry is that there is a silo mentality about positions and ranks, please let us be all equal around the table from the most junior to me, if we cannot share ideas we cannot go anywhere,” the CS said.
He urged the officials to ‘throw their ranks into the dustbin’ and help in serving the children better.
“If you are not able to help me create a team then unfortunately I would have the bigger task of replacing all of you, which I do not want. I would rather be the one to go because it would mean I am in the wrong place. If everbody is not doing what you want, then you must be the mad man in the market,” he added.
Launch documents
He made the remarks even as he stated there should not be a lot of pomp in launching documents. Magoha further said it is shameful to be given names of officers on the ground collecting money from the public to do things that are unacceptable.
“The documents are good, what I am not sure about are the people to implement, that is why I am not so much addressing the document. Do not argue saying that you are too senior because a leader must led by example. You cannot give people orders when you are sitting in the back, you should be working with them,” the CS stated.
He said he is in the ministry at a time when change is not only being implemented but is also resisted.
