Lamu: Teachers in Lamu County are urging the national government to promptly confirm around 20,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers to permanent and pensionable positions. They cite significant staff shortages and overwhelming workloads as critical issues that need immediate attention.
According to Kenya News Agency, during a meeting of the Lamu KUPPET branch members in Mpeketoni, Sofia Njagi, a JSS teacher from Hindi Town, emphasized the urgency of confirming the JSS intern teachers. She pointed out that some teachers are burdened with up to 37 lessons weekly due to the shortage of staff. Njagi also highlighted the inadequate infrastructure in many schools, where multiple grades are forced to share classrooms.
She expressed concerns regarding the poor responses to issues raised by KUPPET members, criticizing the branch's current secretariat for a lack of communication about national government directives aimed at improving learning conditions. This is particularly concerning in remote areas like the Boni, where teachers face challenging working conditions.
Timothy Wanyonyi, a teacher based in Mokowe, noted that teachers in areas such as Boni and Lamu East are working under extremely difficult circumstances. In some schools, only three teachers are available to teach all grades. He accused the current Lamu KUPPET branch administration of failing to address these issues or escalate them to the Teachers Service Commission for resolution.
Ayub Were, a KUPPET Executive Director aspirant, echoed these sentiments, stressing the urgent need to address teacher welfare and infrastructure to enhance learning standards in Lamu. Were criticized the current administration's inability to tackle challenges such as insufficient school funding and the absence of a regular school feeding program, which would help keep children in school.
Were also challenged the secretariat to reveal details of a meeting with the President at State House two weeks ago. He stated that teachers remain uninformed about the priorities for resolving issues, especially in remote areas where education is most affected.