TSC sacks 32 teachers for engaging in sex with pupils

The Teachers Service Commission last month deregistered 32 tutors for engaging in sexual relations with pupils.

Commission CEO Nancy Macharia said this yesterday during the release of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examination results in Mombasa.

Dr Macharia described the sacked teachers as pests and asked other State agencies to investigate and prosecute them.

“In October, TSC dismissed 32 teachers for engaging in sexual relations with pupils. They were degazetted and their names published,” she said, adding that their names could be found in the commission’s website.

Criminal aspects

“These are pests and we cannot allow pests in our schools. We appeal to State investigative agencies to take up the criminal aspects of this matter and prosecute them,” she said.

Macharia did not state what happened in the alleged molestation cases and what the outcomes were. Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) Chairman George Magoha blamed parents for teenage pregnancies.

Prof Magoha said many parents had abdicated their roles of mentoring and guiding children. He said many pupils engaged in early sex and other social ills because parents had failed.

“You are also to blame (parents) if you allow your child, some as young as 10 years, to sneak out at night. Stop crying over teenage pregnancies because we are responsible for this,” said Magoha.

9 gave birth

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed announced that nine KCPE candidates gave birth in the course of the three-day examination that ran between October 30 and November 1, and described the number of teenage pregnancies in primary and secondary schools as alarming.

“...it is far much bigger than we thought,” she said, referring to the pregnancies. She suggested that extra tuition contributed to the epidemic.

Dr Amina accused some parents of negligence and abdication of their duties, adding that this had exposed children to drugs, sexual exploitation and other anti-social behaviour.

“We get these reports everyday and it is happening all over the country,” said the CS.

She said despite the Government’s determination to end examination cheating, a few people tried to aid the malpractice.

The CS described the cases detected this year as minimal, but added that no one managed to leak or steal the examinations.