A section of youths in Mandera has asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) not to employ non local teachers as the education crisis escalates in the region.
The youths who spoke to the press on Friday in Mandera town said many desperate job seekers came to Northeastern to look for teaching posts but after landing one, they ask for transfers.
One of the youths Suleiman Ahmed faulted TSC for withdrawing all non-local teachers from the region saying this was in violation of national basic rights of area children who have equal rights as others in the country to receive basic education.
TSC has withdrawn over 800 teachers from Mandera after three of their colleagues were killed by the Al Shabaab in Garissa county early January.
Abdikadir Isaak, another youth asked area leaders to encourage more youths to take up teaching courses to fill gaps lefts by non-local teachers who have been leaving the region since 2014 after 28 tutors were killed in a Nairobi bound bus as they headed for holidays.
Adbdikadir proposed that among other measures, leaders should fight for lowering of grades to teachers training colleges from C plain to D plus.
He also asked area county government to set aside a bursary kitty to pay for trainees wishing to join teachers’ training colleges.
The non-local teachers’ rush for the transfers has been interpreted by locals as opportunistic seekers who came to search for jobs but later abandoned students during the hour of need.
Mandera county education board chairman Hassan Giro during a consultative forum asked schools’ board of management committees to employ form four leavers, early childhood education teachers and unemployed graduates to join hands and enable learning to continue uninterrupted.
County Commissioner Mr. Onesmus Kyatha assured teachers and residents that the government was in control and had reduced terror attacks for the past one year.
By Dickson Githaiga
