Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Mt. Kenya Region has expressed concern over how the Ministry of Education conducted form one selection.
Ndungu Ngenye, KUPPET Regional spokesperson while addressing the press said the union had received overwhelming concerns from parents of affected KCPE candidates over the selection.
Ngenye expressed concern that after their investigations it had come to their knowledge that over 80 percent of the candidates will not be admitted to schools of their choice.
He also noted that day scholars had been selected to join schools which are far from their homes hence possibility of inconveniencing them and their parents.
“The Union is also concerned over how the Ministry has centralised the selection at Jogoo House in Nairobi leaving out other players,” Mr. Ngenye noted.
He said second selection is normally done by the Boards of Management, however he noted that this time round Jogoo House has a hand in the selection.
Ngenye said the BOMs should be given leeway of selecting and admitting form ones in their respective schools without interference from Jogoo House.
On Free Secondary Education (FSE), the KUPPET boss has lamented that Sh. 6, 000 for infrastructure and Sh1, 350 for medical insurance is being deducted from the Sh. 22,240 meant to ease fees burden to the parents.
“It is wastage of money by the Ministry to have medical cover for the learners who are under 18 and are schooling since they are already covered by the NHIF cover of the parents,” he noted.
On text books, Ngenye said the Ministry has turned schools as dumping sites for text books adding that the ministry gives text books twice the number of learners.
He said the ministry should cut wastage of money in the Sh. 10 billion text book project and instead channel the money to hire more teachers.
By Kimani Tirus
