State House aspirants outline policies on education

By Augustine Oduor

It was a daunting task for presidential aspirants as they sought to win the votes of 6,000 head teachers meeting in Mombasa last week.

There was no ceremony as politicians often expected from the audience. Instead, the teachers wanted their issues addressed. They insisted they would only consider a presidential candidate whose manifesto is robust on their affairs.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his two deputies Uhuru Kenyatta and Musalia Mudavadi, and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka were some of the presidential aspirants invited to address the teachers. Also invited was Gichugu MP Martha Karua, former education PS James ole Kiyiapi, and former Higher Education minister William Ruto.

First, the teachers laid down a raft of conditions they wanted met. Bridging the teacher gap, salary increments complete with allowances, streamlining the Early Childhood Education, enhanced free education capitation per child and its immediate release among a flurry of other general reforms in the sector.

Pressed to explain what their vision for the education sector would be once elected, the candidates strived to outdo each other. Ruto and Uhuru did not attend. But Kalonzo, who was the first to address the teachers, said he will establish a realistic formula to guide the funding of education at all levels.

Realistic resource matrix

Kalonzo said the fact that the budgetary allocation for free education for primary school has remained constant since 2003 is an oversight that must be urgently corrected.

“If we are keen on ensuring quantity is marched with quality, the financial allocation to education must move towards a more realistic resource matrix. Critical, too, is timely release of these funds,” he said.

Teachers demanded that the capitation per child for each student in free day secondary school be tripled to Sh30,795 up from Sh10,265. They also demanded the free primary grants increased to over Sh5,000.

Kalonzo also promised teachers that, once elected, he will bridge the teacher gap and noted that plans will be made to see that some of the qualified teachers are hired in neighbouring countries.

“The restructuring agenda in this sector will aim at achieving wholesome reforms that will replace appointment with deployment on merit. Under the same banner, is the employment of jobless and qualified teachers in neighbouring countries or any other country,” he said.

Mudavadi on his part pledged robust infrastructure where his government will to construct 10,000 schools every year for the first four years of his term in his office. He said another 10,000 teachers will be hired annually over the same period to bridge the teacher gap.

But teachers demanded that some 40,000 teachers be hired immediately and another 20,000 recruited annually to stem the gap currently standing at 80,000.

The DPM also said he would ensure ECDE is streamlined and enough teachers hired.

He said his government will ensure the current transition rate of 74 per cent is increased to ensure the 400,000 children who drop out of school annually are eliminated.

“With prudent management of our resources we shall achieve all these,” he said.

Raila said his government will have continuous training and education. He said the terms and conditions of the teachers will be continuously reviewed to ensure they are motivated to retain the best brains in classrooms.

Equality

He said teachers will rise to the levels of PS even as they continue to teacher to keep them in the profession. This he said would be possible through a comprehensive scheme of service equal to that of other civil servants.

He said Job Groups S and T will be added to the teachers in a move to ensure they do not quit teaching for greener pastures.

“You deserve career advancement like anybody else in public service. You should be able to rise to the level of a PS while still teaching,” he said.

He said his government will recruit 50,000 teachers in the next financial year to bridge the teacher gap. He said it will also reward outstanding teachers.

“The government will need to scale up interventions aimed at reducing HIV and Aids that has robbed the country of trained and experienced teachers.”

Teacher welfare

Prof Kiyiapi said his background in the education sector put him in a better position to understand it. He said his Restore and Build Kenya government will deal with education reforms on one part and the teacher welfare on the other.

Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua said hers will weed out corruption in the sector. She said she will facilitate the basic conditions necessary to recruitment of teachers and their better pay.

However, given past experiences in Kenyan politics and how aspirants fail to honour their campaign pledges after elections, it remains to be seen whether all these juicy words will ever translate to action when either of the candidates ascend to power come next year.