This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has been accused of sidelining teachers from crucial education discussions by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut).
On Thursday, May 14, 2020, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion asked Magoha to stop politicking education issues and include unions in major education discussions.
Sossion accused the ministry of having a habit of excluding the union from major task forces on education reforms, including the curriculum review task force and the Covid-19 national education response committee.
"The Cabinet Secretary cannot purport to implement competency-based curriculum through a task force which excludes participation of teachers and includes non-professionals in education," Sossion said in a press statement.
He also wrote a letter to Magoha demanding for Knut's place in the taskforce and in the Covid-19 education response committee.
According to Sossion, the union has been excluded from major decision-making processes that would define the future of education in the country, despite being a principal player in the basic education sector.
He said the exclusion of Knut in the curriculum review taskforce and the Covid-19 education response committee contravenes international conventions, treaties, and agreements as outlined within the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO.
He also warned Magoha against playing politics on issues affecting both teachers and learners, such as Covid-19.
Furthermore, Knut proposed the establishment of a Covid-19 emergency response fund by the National Treasury to mobilize resources to manage the pandemic in public schools and colleges.
