We want all girls and boys in class, gender desk necessary, says Sossion

KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion (left) flanked by the Executive Director of Gender Violence Recovery Centre Alberta Wambua (centre) and the head of gender desk at KNUT Mercy Kiambati speak at KNUT headquarter on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, after a breakfast meeting in Nairobi. Sossion supported the opening of schools next month saying that it is safer for children to be in school than at home. [Collins Kweyu,Standard

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has urged the teachers to report to schools as was directed by the government yesterday adding there is much work to be done ahead of the reopening.

Mr Sossion called on schools to accept all the pupils back including the teenage girls who fell pregnant during the time of closures occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Knut boss said the teachers are prepared to offer psychosocial support to all children to enable them get to favourable psychological status supportive for learning.

“If a girl is pregnant, bring them back to school. We shall support them and even if it means giving the nutrition support until they deliver,” he said.

He called on the members to ensure that all girls and boys are back to class regardless of their social status and predicaments. To achieve this, Sossion called on teachers to do a map out and work on the needs of the learners.

He said: “All girls and boys must come back to school regardless of the challenges and situations they have been.”

The nominated legislator urged the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service omission to join hands with the union to establish gender offices which will initiate gender recovery activities in every school.

According to Sossion, once recognised and made a policy, the gender desk will get the funding to run its activities. The initiative according Sossion will cushion children and teachers from the risks and dangers of gender-based violence.

“We must establish a gender desk and the desk in every school must be recognised and it must have a strong committee to be able to deal with these issues on a continuous basis so that we don’t make news with statements. Statements mean nothing if it does not translate to action,” Sossion said.

Teachers ordered

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Dr Nancy Macharia on Monday ordered teachers back to schools after education stakeholders sat in a meeting and made the resolution at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Nairobi.

“We have deliberated as a committee and we are therefore now asking our teachers to report back to schools on Monday September 28, 2020, to prepare for the eventual reopening of schools,” said Dr Macharia.

She said teachers were ready to recover the lost time during closure and help the sector get back to the normal calendar.

She said: “We wish to assure the country that our teachers are totally prepared and ready to help our children recover the lost time and save the academic year was that at risk of being lost. We know our teachers will do this and we ask all of you to support them.”

Also, the Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman while reporting the new cases, said schools reopening will be done under the keen watch of the ministry of health.

“The country is determined to take the safest route in the reopening of schools without causing distortion that might take us back,” he said.

He cautioned that any rush without monitoring the new infections would bear no fruit as has been witnessed in other countries.

“We have seen in other countries when social sectors are reopened and there are spikes again. We have not yet defeated Covid-19,” said Aman. “Our numbers show to some extent that we are getting some results in suppressing the spread of the virus.”

Kenya’s coronavirus positivity rate has gone to 4.5 per cent after the country started posting lower number from the beginning of September. This has been fluctuating depending on new cases and sample sizes.