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Ensure smooth operation in our schools

Parents purchase school items at Khimji Bookshop in Nyeri town

Parents purchase school items at Khimji Bookshop in Nyeri town on Saturday, January 06, in preparation for the reopening of schools after the long holiday break.

Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group

As schools reopen, operational measures should be put in place to ensure a smooth start to the learning process.

These include the implementation of education reform laws passed by Parliament last year and those yet to be approved should be fast-tracked.

Due to the escalating prices of school uniforms as witnessed by many parents, the bill sponsored by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba in February 2023 and implemented in November to ban schools from selling uniforms should be considered.

Form Ones are to be admitted in week's time, yet in their admission letters some schools still insist on issuing their uniforms in schools while others issue instructions on specific places to purchase them.This is a concern that needs to be addressed immediately for the benefit of parents rather than the cartels in the sector.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) should assist in investigations to ensure that there are no links between schools and the out-of-school shopping centres. It is clearly stated that parents have the freedom to purchase uniforms at a place of their choice, depending on the prices and their ability.

In addition, junior secondary school teachers have also issued a strike notice if they are not paid soon. This, if not resolved, will have a negative impact on the school programme and therefore disrupt the learning process.

The government should take immediate steps to ensure effective progress of CBC without such hindrances. Our students deserve quality education after a long holiday which stakeholders in the sector should have maximised on to find solutions to such issues.

Some of the students are back in school after dropping out and therefore need maximum support and close monitoring to ensure that they do not regress.

It is time to realise the essence of education and make working strategies that will work on short and long term plans in the sector without leaving any gap that will advance and affect the ongoing progress in schools.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education Mr Ezekie Machogu and his team, parents, teachers and students should rise to the occasion and settle the scores and agree on the matters at hand.

- Amos Ngeno,Kisumu

***

The cases where some of the 2023 candidates of Oruba Boys High School in Homabay County, disowned their KCSE results released earlier this week are frustrating.

It is unfortunate that similar discrepancies were encountered in the KCPE results released last year.

These KCSE examination results took longer than usual to release, giving us hope that candidates would receive their actual results.

There is therefore need to verify the results before being released.

- Sharon Jebet, Kisumu