This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has expressed strong opposition to a proposal by Private Schools Association to allocate funds to cushion private institutions against the effects of Covid-19.
Published on June 12, 2020, Sossion argued that the government has no social contract with business-oriented learning institutions.
“The proposal by private schools owners that the State should provide grants to enable them pay staff salaries is totally out of tune,” Sossion said.
He emphasized that it would be a violation of government policy to provide children with free quality education if funds meant for the same are channeled to boost private enterprises.
“It will be wrong to use tax payers’ money to finance private businesses. Investors should seek alternative funding from financial institutions or elsewhere to keep their enterprises afloat,” Sossion said.
He further argued that the Sh6 billion allocated to the Ministry of Education under the Covid-19 Economic Stimulus programme is insufficient to address the problems facing the sector.
Additionally, Sossion pointed out that in the post-Covid-19 period, the government will need more funds to expand classrooms for learners to observe social distancing.
He also criticized the proposal, stating that it is laughable and an insult to the intelligence of the public which is aware of the billions of shillings private schools make annually.
Instead, Sossion suggested that the government should allocate more funds to public schools, which are facing an acute shortage of teachers, with a shortage of 125,615 teachers.
