A bill is in the offing to make the Ministry of Education a Teachers Service Commission (TSC) agent.
The Ministry of Education is seeking powers to fire school headteachers and principals who misuse school resources and demonstrate poor leadership.
The Education Ministry has in the past engaged in a power tussle with TSC over who has the control of schools and their resources.
Now the Ministry wants absolute powers to tame misuse of school capitation among other resources without going through the Commission.
Should the proposals sail through it will mean the Ministry sub county, county and regional directors will take over schools and can initiate sacking of a rogue headteacher or principal without seeking TSC intervention.
The Ministry says it lacks powers to discipline school heads who defy the Ministry circulars among other Ministry directives thus creating a crisis in education management.
The Ministry also wants to replace the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) with Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS).
The KEMIS will be different from NEMIS as it will give a learner a unique identifier from birth through birth certificate and which will be used throughout his/her education life from nursery to college and university.
KEMIS will solve the current bottlenecks experienced in the NEMIS system which is said to be working in parallel with the Competency Based Assessment (CBA) system managed by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and other systems.
The proposed changes are coming at a time where the Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called for urgent reforms in the education system to better prepare graduates for the global job market.
Speaking at a high-level review meeting with the Ministry of Education leadership, Kindiki stressed the need for increased access, affordability and quality across all education levels.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, which met in Karen, recommended strengthening the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to keep pace with global trends in education and skills development.
The group also urged increased funding for Technical, Vocational, and University Education to ensure that all Kenyans can contribute effectively to national growth.
“The CBC must respond to future global trends in pedagogy and human capital development,” Kindiki said.
“We need to ensure that our education system produces graduates who are fit for purpose in a rapidly changing global market.”
Present at the meeting were Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Migos Ogamba, Permanent Secretaries Dr. Belio Kipsang (Basic Education), Dr. Beatrice Inyangala (Higher Education and Research) and Dr. Esther Muoria (TVET), among others.
The call for reform comes amid growing concerns over Kenya’s education system and its ability to equip students with the skills needed in the workforce.
I am a teacher and I know from experience schools are havens of corruption.
Principals think of schools as personal business.
It’s dirty dirty business.
Have human resources managers together with accountants different from their agents. The Ministry of Education auditing department is very corrupt.
Why can’t the MoE just send a text message to parents/ Guardian directly to informing them that : GoK through the MoE has paid Ksh. ….for your child who is in grade XXX at School YYY as school fees for Term DDD. This will make HOIs to feel embarrassed to ask more money from parents in terms of levies
Many primary schools were receiving government capitation but even the BOM members can’t tell how much they receives per term.The deal is only ended by the headteacher and the BOB chair.
It will be great achievement, principals and hoi behave as if they are above the law
Not a good move. The MOE has failed to support and fund the Education. The mandate of firing is solely TSC docket. The MOE to find away of handling it’s issues.
Delays in government funds makes the running of schools a nightmare. Otherwise the Hois have been running the schools since it’s inception with those challenges. Even those who are complaining when through the those Hois who are demonizing them now.
Most of the teacher fear the headteacher because the will transfer he will be under may by his boss and those who react he or she will be interdected my self l was one of my school safer alot because speaking the tureth
Most of the teacher fear the headteacher because the will transfer he will be under may by his boss and those who react he or she will be interdected my self l was one of my school safer alot because speaking the tureth
I 100% support this move. Parents in public institutions are forced to pay fees that are no receipts.sub county directors MOE collaborate with HOI . Parents have no say!
MOE has failed to fund some schools for the last three years. Let the MOE first account for the capitation released by treasury and has never reached schools.
The ministry should come up with their own employees to manage the resources from MOE and stakeholders so that the work of principals and headteachers is teacher management only! It’s not in order to sack employees of another agent.