NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 21 — Chairperson of the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) Jamleck Muturi, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to defend teachers against attacks by host communities as long as they act within the law.
Speaking on Sunday in Embu, Muturi said the teaching profession must be respected and anyone threatening teachers will face the full force of the law.
He urged parents who have complaints against teachers use Boards of Management or other appropriate channels to voice them.
“As a commission we are going to protect our head teachers, deputy head teachers, principals and teachers so long as they [are] within the law,” he said.
Mururi warned that humiliation of teachers risked undermining provision of education.
“It was very demeaning to see a head teacher [being] frog-marched in full glare of pupils. How do you expect the head teacher to manage those pupils later?” he posed.
Muturi’s remarks came days after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) transferred teachers from two schools St. Martin Mafuta Secondary School in Uasin Gishu and St. Gabriel Isonga Secondary School in Kakamega over hostility by host communities.
Forcefully ejected
Irate parents stormed the two schools and forcefully ejected school principals, blaming the teachers for the poor results 2023 KCSE examinations.
TSC responded by transferring six teachers from St. Martin Mafuta Secondary and 17 teacher from St. Gabriel Isonga Secondary.
Education Cabinet Ezekiel Machogu denounced the attacks in a statement on Friday saying dramatic expulsion risked impeding students’ fundamental right to access education.
“While the invasion of schools and attack on teachers is unfortunate and we cannot allow it to continue, we have to adopt carefully consultative means of ensuring that we do not deprive children of their right to education,” Machogu appealed.
