Thursday March 22, 2018
North Eastern Region Coordinator Mohamud Saleh when he inspected the housing unit in one of the administration camps in Garissa town Wednesday.
High level stakeholders’ consultation between the Ministries of Interior, Education and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is ongoing over the mass transfer of non local teachers in Wajir.
This is to ensure that learning is not disrupted, North Eastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh has said.
This follows public outcry by elected leaders and educationists from Wajir who termed the transfer of close to 960 non-local teachers as not only unfair but contravenes the constitution.
“It’s unfortunate that TSC decided to carry out the transfers without proper consultations with all the stakeholders. But right now the government is discussing the issue. And sooner rather than later teachers will come back,” said Saleh.
According to reliable sources within TSC although the teachers have since received their transfer letters, majority of those in ‘safer’ areas within the county have not left.
Addressing the press after touring housing units for administration police officers in Garissa that are set for massive renovations, Saleh while terming the incident as unfortunate said the government will ensure that leaning is not disrupted.
“We are in agreement that non local teachers along the border should be taken to safer areas,” he added.
While terming the Qarsa attack that left two non local teachers and spouse to one of them dead as unfortunate and an isolated, Saleh said that TSC should not have used it to unilaterally transfer all non local teachers from the area.
He emphasized that no learning institutions should be closed down saying that even before the attack, many of them were still experiencing shortage of teachers.
“Leaning should continue with the limited number of teachers. We have candidates in class 8 and form 4 who will be sitting for their exams at the end of the year that we cannot neglect,” said Saleh.
He said so far 3 people have been arrested in connection with the Qarsa attack among them the financer a Somali citizen.
“As a government we are trying our level best to secure the region. Civil servants and all the residents residing in the region have no reason to worry,” he said.
“There are Kenyans working inside Somalia which is more insecure. We have no reason as Kenyans to run away from parts of a country because of Al-Shabaab threats,” he added.
Meanwhile, leaders and education stakeholders now want a constitution amended to curb the powers of TSC from unliterary transferring teachers at will.
Speaking during a county education forum said that they will use all available constitutional means to ensure that the mass transfer of non local teachers is reversed.
“When the constitution was being drafted, the teachers’ unions arm twisted the government into accepting the independence of TSC. We are seeing a situation where TSC is muscling its powers without due respect to other constitutional provisions like right to education for all Kenyan children,” said Kassim.