A total of 32 teachers were last month sacked for having sex with students, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced on Monday.
Speaking in Mombasa during the release of this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said the names of the sacked teachers have been gazetted.
“The commission, like everyone else, is alarmed by the large number of teenage pregnancies. Of concern is that some of our head teachers and teachers into whose care these children are entrusted are complicit. The commission is taking this very seriously and those found guilty will be dealt with accordingly,” she warned.
She asked managers of public and private institutions to be careful not to engage the sacked teachers.
“We also ask other government agencies to deal with the criminal aspects of these cases in accordance to the law. A few miscreants cannot be allowed to ruin our children. But as a society, we must do some retrospection. What’s happened to our moral fabric! Parents relegating everything to the teacher! That we can’t protect our young ones and are busy luring them to the devil's den,” said the CS.
Ms Macharia asked the managers of private schools to employ only teachers registered by the TSC, who must abide by a code of regulations.
Meanwhile, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said teenage pregnancies are at an all-time high, noting that nine candidates delivered during the exams.
She said preliminary reports show that the magnitude of the problem is much bigger than the government initially thought.
“We are staring a national challenge in the face,” said Ms Mohamed, adding that she had directed the team to expand the scope of its analysis in a survey covering all primary and secondary schools between 2016 and 2018.
“I wish to caution the country that the problem of underage pregnancies must not be viewed as a burden of the Ministry of Education alone. We broke the silence. It is a multisectoral challenge that calls for concerted efforts across a broad spectrum of players to be stemmed. The law is clear on defilement. And no one is above the law,” she said.
Ms Mohamed said the ministry is dealing with a complex issue and will work with all relevant government agencies to effect the urgent changes required.
“There is also a standing ministerial team finalising standard operating procedures to be rolled out in schools to increase safety and security. We must, and will, make schools safe and secure zones for every child in this country,” Ms Mohamed said.
She called on parents, guardians and the community to inculcate good behaviour in, and protect, children.
“We must reject the individualism of child responsibility and honour the wisdom of our ancestors that it takes a village to raise a child. We all have a responsibility to protect these children,” she added.
She appealed to parents with children who walk to and from school to pay particular attention to the times these children leave home.
“I issued clear guidelines on schooling time and I expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter. We will not compromise the safety of our learners for a few extra hours of tuition. Most of our children are falling prey to paedophiles and opportunists. I also wish to reiterate that holiday tuition is still prohibited. Stern action will be taken against persons who go against this directive,” she said.
Since January this year, 122 teachers have been dismissed for misconduct. In 2016, 22 teachers were sacked for having sex with students while another 126 were kicked out in 2015 for a variety of offences.
