The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has threatened to prevail upon teachers to boycott marking of national examinations citing poor facilitation.
KUPPET Secretary General (SG) Akello Misori said the government’s delay in disbursement of capitation funds to schools has made it difficult for teachers to oversee smooth administration of the ongoing examinations.
Teachers, he said, are finding it difficult to administer practical examinations since the government has failed to release funds to schools.
“We are not happy with the way the national examinations are being conducted because the government has not put in place measures to ensure that schools handle the exercise without stress,” Misori said.
In the just ended term, he said the government only released Sh1, 300 per pupil which fell short of what is supposed to be used for administration of examinations.
The designated marking centres, he added, were too squeezed and likely to expose teachers to Covid-19 disease.
Speaking in Kisumu on Tuesday after the union’s National Executive Board meeting with officials from Kisumu and Siaya Counties, Misori asked the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to expand the marking centres failure to which the union shall ask teachers to boycott the exercise.
KNEC, he said, must urgently open the marking centres that were closed to ensure that teachers follow the Covid-19 protocols while undertaking the exercise.
“With this third wave of Covid-19 we cannot afford to congest our teachers in dormitories as has been the case in the past,” he said.
He said the union has presented the grievances to the Ministry of Education and KNEC adding that if action is not taken, teachers shall not report to the marking centres as directed.
“We are talking to the government and KNEC to take advantage of this window to sort out this failing which we shall ask our teachers not to report to the marking centers,” he said.
By Chris Mahandara/Joseph Otieno
