By Lynn Wanjiku
With the Confusion that has hit teacher training colleges around the country following a move by the Ministry of Education to terminate the training of teachers with D+ minimum grades, Ijara Member of Parliament Sophia Abdinoor has demanded the government to post enough teachers to areas perceived to be insecure or allow D+ students to train as teachers.
Her remarks come days after basic education principal secretary Belio Kipsang in a letter to the 8 regional directors of education dated April 26 they should ensure that all private and public colleges only train students who attained minimum entry requirement of C plain for certificates and C+ for diploma courses
Speaking in Masalani town in Ijara constituency, the MP termed as ‘outright discrimination’ by the government for the revocation of orders that lowered grades for admission into teachers training colleges.
The Mp threatened to sue Nancy Macharia saying she ought to post more teachers ‘if they as the state have rejected students with lower grade to teach far flunk areas’. The lawmaker who was accompanied by area wards representatives said the constitution recognizes affirmative action so that marginalized areas are at par with others in the country
Speaking separately Garissa Township MP Aden Duale stated the move will disorient trainees.
Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim says that the qualification for admission into training institutions should be varied from time to time by the cabinet secretary and shall be lower for persons from marginalized counties in order to afford persons adequate and equal opportunities for training and advancement.
The Teachers service commission, however, maintains the current minimum academic and professional requirements for registration as teachers will not change