Nairobi: Teachers' unions have opposed the proposal by Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga to devolve primary and secondary education to county governments, warning that the move would cripple the country's education system.
According to Kenya News Agency, this comes days after Odinga urged the Executive and Parliament arms of government to begin preparations to devolve the entire basic education sector from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) to secondary schools to county governments, a proposal that the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) have strongly rejected.
Speaking at Miyuga Mixed Secondary School in Karachuonyo, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori emphasised that teachers across the country would resist attempts to hand over education management to county governments. 'The teachers of this country will not accept any attempt to devolve education because most essential services devolved to counties have collapsed,' he noted.
He emphasised that one key area where the county governments have failed totally is the administration of the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), which he noted was supposed to give children a proper foundation but has not been realised for more than a decade now since devolution started. 'The ECDE was devolved to counties to give children a strong foundation, but more than a decade later, the objective has not been realised due to poor management,' Misori asserted.
He further argued that when Odinga's proposal is actualised, it will deepen inequalities in the education sector. Misori added that counties lack the capacity to effectively manage education, citing the collapse of other devolved services, including the health sector which has been struggling and is riddled with strikes under county management.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu echoed Misori's sentiments, arguing that counties' poor management of ECDE was proof that they cannot handle primary and secondary education. He argued that many centres lack proper quality assurance, making them incapable of delivering meaningful education, describing the state of ECDE as 'horrible'. 'If county governments have failed with ECDEs, what will happen if basic education is devolved?' Oyuu questioned. He insisted that education must remain a national government function.