Kenya's Most Authoritative Political Newspaper

Citizen Weekly

Sunday 26 April 2015

Mock exam politics expose MP’s bogus education policy

As the hardline stand over mock examination fees issued by Malava MP Malulu Injendi continues to bite the education sector, local leaders have come to the support of teachers lambasting the MP over his remarks that has caused uproar between teacher sand parents.
Led by the Kakamega county education committee, chairman Wycliffe Gimoi, who is also the Butali/Chegulo member of county assembly from the area, the leaders criticised the MP’s move saying it had stagnated and impacted negatively on the running of institutions as parents waged war against their teachers over the same with the former blaming the latter of an intention to try and embezzle money from them.
Speaking during the launch of an education fund dubbed Kabras on Line Education Fund held at the Forest Lodge hotel in Malava town, Gimoi told the MP to either honour the pledge in full or direct the parents to pay the remaining amount instead of bringing education activities to a standstill by holding teachers to ransom on otherwise a clearly set education activity that has been running over years in the name of helping parents.
At the same time, the Kolef members expressed their dismay in the way the MP’s sentiments had adversely affected the smooth running of education activities within the constituency and stated that their objective to set up an education fund was to chip in and assist bright but needy students within the constituency as many of the students have been unable to access education due to lack of school fees.
The vice chairman of the fund, Amos Chilai, warned politicians against an intent to use the platform for their political gains stating that this was a political free fund aimed at assisting the needy children and had no political affiliations whatsoever and that any contribution they offer should not be seen as of having any political intention.
The funds administrator Jackton Indumuli on his part decried on the rising number of needy children from the region despite funding from the county, CDF and even the ministry of Education all directed towards education.
Gimoi said he will push for the increase of the education funding from the current 1pc  to 10pc to enable meet the high demand.
Educationist Juma Matsanza hailed the idea noting that it would bolster the education standards that have continued to dwindle throughout the years and maintained that that was the way to go if the region was to come out of the education quagmire it has been in.
This comes in the wake of  area MP’s sponsorship of Sh2 million for mocks against the needed Sh3.6 million for secondary mocks. He has on many occasions been traversing his constituency announcing that he has already paid for the mock exams hence parents need not pay.
The bad blood between the school managers both at primary and secondary towards the MP is to the effect that he has not openly come out clear to break it down to the parents on how many mocks he has sponsored leading to the managers to receive backlash and accusations from parents whenever they sent the candidates home to bring the balance.
The MP has already remitted the Sh1 million to the examination board headed by Daniel Mwachi who during the stakeholder meeting at the Friends Church Malava confirmed having received the money, has directed the teachers to work within the budget of allocation and promised to add another Sh1m  in the next financial year.
What is ailing the teachers is the fact that the institutions normally sit for three or more mock trials and the MP having only sponsored one mock at Sh2 million for both primary and secondary schools has not only raised concerns but has left the institutions in an education limbo not knowing where to get the deficit of Sh2.6 million for secondary schools as parents stand ground of not paying arguing that the MP has already paid on their behalf.
It has become extremely difficult for the schools to raise more funds towards the same and word has it that the schools might only sit for one mock exam as parents remain adamant not to remit the cash.
Most of the school management are blaming Injendi for failing to clear the air on the issue and instead using his contribution as a campaign tool to enable him remain in the August House come 2017 and wanted him to either fully sponsor the mock exams or give his donations and let the parents remit the rest instead of him verbally using it as his campaign strategy tool.

No comments:

Post a Comment