State agencies to team up against school invasions

The national government has laid down measures, including collaborating with the National Intelligence Service, to deal with insecurity in public schools posed by the public invading them and attacking teachers due to poor performance in national examinations.

However, the government also warned that the Ministry of Education will not protect incompetent teachers. Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said teachers must deliver to the expectations of Kenyans.

Dr Kipsang said the Ministry of Education is collaborating with the Interior and National Administration Ministry to provide security to all schools. Addressing journalists in Mombasa, the PS urged parents who are not satisfied with a school’s performance to follow the right procedures in dealing with the issue.

For the past month, Kenyans have witnessed attacks on teachers in some public schools over poor performance in the 2023 national exams. The first incident was at St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School in Mumias East two weeks ago when irate parents and community members stormed the school and forcefully ejected the principal and blamed the teachers for the school’s poor performance.

Poor performance

Parents also stormed Mafuta Secondary School in Uasin Gishu County protesting over the poor performance of their children in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.

“This is not the direction we want to go as Kenyans, there are structures that we must follow. When we have grievances, we must walk within that particular structure so that nobody takes the law into their own hands,” said Dr Kipsang.

In a closed-door meeting with security agencies and education officials at Mama Ngina High School, Dr Kipsang urged security agencies to thwart invasion cases by collaborating with the intelligence service.

At the same time, the PS indicated that Form One enrolment is currently at 87 per cent. In the Coast region, the PS said 65 per cent of the learners have joined secondary school.

Dr Kipsang said the State will ensure a 100 per cent transition.

Meanwhile, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has said it will post 17 teachers to St Stephen’s Isongo Secondary School following a meeting in Nairobi with MPs from Kakamega County yesterday.

TSC had withdrawn teachers from the school following the attack in which Principal David Wanjala and director of studies Godfrey Masibo were forcefully ejected from the school.

Political leaders

During the meeting, political leaders from the region led by Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe promised to ensure teachers are accorded a safe environment and committed to sensitise parents and learners on proper channels of airing grievances.

The leaders included Mumias East MP Peter Salasya who was widely criticised for his role in the saga.

TSC boss Nancy Macharia expressed concern over the unfair targeting of teachers when examination results do not meet parents’ expectations, saying that the results are the cumulative effort of all stakeholders.

“The commission will deploy 17 teachers to the school to expedite the resumption of teaching and learning activities. Meanwhile, I would like to encourage the community and stakeholders to collaborate with teachers in their respective local schools to ensure that academic performance aligns with their expectations,” she said.

Acknowledging the concerns about teacher performance, Ms Macharia said that TSC will not hesitate to take appropriate action against those who fail to meet the required standards.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu had criticised TSC for withdrawing the teachers. He said the constitutional and statutory framework protects the right of every child to free and compulsory basic education.