TSC fights back against attack on teachers

The Teacher Service Commission (TSC) has expressed concern over continued attacks on teachers over alleged poor performance in national examinations.

Consequently, 16 learners have been arrested for unleashing violence while demanding transfer of their headteacher.

TSC chairman Jamleck Muturi yesterday warned those attacking teachers that they will face the full force of the law.

Speaking in Embu during a Winas Sacco Annual General meeting, Muturi warned that the teachers’ employer will not condone any victimisation of teachers by rogue parents and other members of the public taking the law into their hands.

He urged anybody aggrieved with results to channel their grievances to the relevant bodies instead of attacking teachers.

“The teaching profession must be respected, teachers and headteachers must be respected. Anyone threatening teachers will face the full force of the law,” he warned.

“It is demeaning to see a headteacher being frogmatched in full glare of pupils. How do you expect the headteacher to manage those boys and girls later?” Muturi asked.

In the latest incident, 16 students from Narok High School were arrested for allegedly leading a riot to protest against the principal’s continued stay at the institution after being transferred.

Narok Town Assistant County Commissioner Ali Shakur said the students complained of the continued stay of Mr David Kirui, who has been transferred. The unruly students stormed out of the school and marched towards Narok town while stoning motorbikes and vehicles parked on the roadside and pelting stones at pedestrians, according to Shukur.

Following the unrest, the administrator led the security team, School Board of Management and education officers in a closed-door meeting in which it was resolved that the culprits be sent home.

It was also resolved that the school Board of Management should assess the total damage caused and take appropriate action. County TSC Director was also tasked to deal with the succession issues appropriately.

The 16 students are expected to be arraigned and charged with vandalism.

 Narok High School has been performing below expectations in national examination, despite having some of the best infrastructure in the county.

In last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, the 334 candidates whho sat for the examination managed a mean of 5.39.

The incident follows a similar one at St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School in Mumias East constituency, Kakamega two weeks ago where rowdy parents and boda boda operators stormed the institution and forcefully ejected teachers, accusing them of incompetence.

Hits hard

Following that incident, TSC hit hard, withdrawing all the 17 teachers in protest.

The parents were protesting the school’s KCSE results.

David Wafula and his deputy Alfred Kutindi, alongside 15 other teachers, have since been transferred for security reasons.

The Catholic Church Kakamega Diocese, which is the  school’s sponsor, has been working round the clock to end the stalemate through mediation between the government, parents and other stakeholders. There was virtually no learning at the institution yesterday with many of the students who had turned up lazying under trees while others made noise in classrooms. Eight teachers employed by the Board of Management are overwhelmed and have decided to sit back and wait for a solution.

A number of parents were said to be planning to withdraw their children and enroll them in other schools.

“We are working with the relevant authorities to restore normalcy. What happened was regrettable and that is not the culture in all our schools,” Bishop Joseph Obanyi said yesterday.

He added that they would convince the authorities that security of new teachers who could be brought in was guaranteed.

Wafula has been transferred to St. Beda’s Bukaya Secondary in the neighbouring Mumias West constituency while his deputy has been to moved to Shibinga West Secondary.

George Masibo, who was the Director of Studies, is now at Ndivisi Girls Secondary in Bungoma, so is Lawrence Nalianya at Kuywa Secondary.

Other schools that benefited from the crisis at Isongo include St. Martha’s Mwitoti, Musango, Ebubere, Makunga, Eluche and Khaunga, all in the neighbourhood.

The parents stormed the school after nearly all the 179 KCSE candidates scored D minus with four getting Es. Only two got university entry grades. They had a mean of 2.89 down from last year’s 5.2.

In Kisii, several headteachers implored parents and community members against attacking teachers over dismal performance in national examinations.

Uncalled for

Masaba South Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) chairman Robinson Moseti said invading schools and harassing teachers will not solve the problem.

He cited Ibacho and Gekonge Mixed Secondary Schools where parents and members of the public attacked teachers, terming it unacceptable and uncalled for.

“Do not rush to shut down schools. Parents, students and teachers should discuss and agree on how to improve performance,” Moseti told the press.

He said performance of schools in national examinations depends on stakeholders working as a team, adding that principals should not be held solely responsible for poor results.

The Kisii Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairman, Laban Ouko decried the ejection of teachers over poor results, terming it criminal.

He appealed to the government to arrest parents and community members who storm schools to harass and frogmarch teachers.

“Teachers complete the syllabus and prepare candidates for the examination. It is not their business to write the examination,” Ouko said.

Reporting by Brian Malila, Dennis Lumiti, Robert Ochoro and KNA