The teachers strike persisted yesterday as thousands of learners started arriving to their respective schools for the beginning of the third term.

There was markedly little activity in most secondary schools across the country with most parents adopting a wait-and-see attitude before releasing learners to schools owing to fears of the teachers strike.

Not even the announcement that the High Court had halted the teachers strike pending the hearing and determination of a case lodged by TSC helped ease the tension, with majority of teachers staying away (see separate story).

In the Nyanza region, there was very little learning activities following the ongoing strike by teachers allied to the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

A spot check by People Daily established that learning in most secondary schools in the region got off to a slow start on the first day of the third term, with most learners failing to report following the strike calls.

Several teachers too, heeded to their union officials’ call for a strike and stayed away from schools, leading to a paralysis of learning.

A few learners who reported were left unattended to as teachers who are members of Kuppet continued the strike that entered second day.

At Joel Omino Secondary School in Kisumu, only a few students reported back to class on the second day of the third term. Principal Richard Nyayal said many learners stayed away from classrooms due to the teachers strike.

Nyayal said even though a few teachers reported for duty but not much learning went on. “We’ve had only a few students back on the reopening day. We hope to see the situation improve in the coming days.”

The situation was the same at Dr Aloo Gumbi Secondary School, where only a fraction of students reported. The situation was replicated in several schools across the region.

However, learning went on uninterrupted at most primary schools on the second day of reopening. A number of the primary schools registered improved turnout.

In Kiambu, uncertainty prevailed with teachers’ representatives maintaining there will be no teaching. Area Kuppet officials led by the chair Dr Rose Kiiru and Executive Secretary Moses Thogo maintained all the 5,000 teachers in the county will stay away until their demands are met.