Connect with us

NEWS

Muslim leaders slam gov’t’s closure of schools

Published

on

NAIROBI—Muslim leaders have sharply criticized the directive by the government to close schools as a result of the ongoing teachers’ strike. In unprecedented move last week, the government ordered the closure of all public and private schools pending a court outcome to determine the legality of the teachers’ strike that has lasted for four weeks.

Members of the Jamia Mosque committee at a press conference in Nairobi

Members of the Jamia Mosque committee at a press conference in Nairobi. PHOTO/ Jamia Mosque

The government at the same time reviewed term dates while affirming that the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will go on as scheduled and Class 8 and Forum Four candidates will remain in schools to revise for the national examinations.

Terming the closure of the schools as a “major mistake” the chairman of National Muslims Leaders Forum (NAMLEF) Abdullahi Abdi said the government should device ways to address the teachers grievances without hurting the economy which he says is not doing so well at the moment.

“I strongly believe teachers deserve a pay rise but our current economy is not able to sustain that. The government has to address the economy first before addressing teachers’ pay rise demands.

Long term reviewing of teachers’ salaries would be very wise,” he told the Friday Bulletin.
Abdullahi said the government needs to tap the billions of shillings that are being lost to corruption and urged it to stop undertaking major projects which it cannot sustain merely for political reasons.

He called on the government to rescind its decision to close down private schools saying they are not party to the standoff between the teachers union and the government and should therefore be spare of the agony.

Reacting to the directive, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) said it was saddened by the ongoing stalemate between the government and the teachers that has subsequently led to the closure of schools.

Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, the national Chairman Sheikh AtekaAbdalla faulted the government saying it has mishandled the teachers’ strike and resulted to politicking with the education crisis facing the nation without putting into consideration the plight of thousands of school going children.

He noted that the government has disobeyed to honour court orders granting the teachers 50-60 per cent pay rise and as a result violated constitutionally granted the right to education of Kenyan children. “The current pay standoff could have been avoided if the government had honoured court orders. This saga was already resolved by the courts but the government instead choose to engage in politics” Ateka said.

He asked the government to address the teachers’ grievances and stop issuing threats stressing that the continued stay of children at home is an expensive affair that could expose them to social ills such drug abuse, immorality and joining illegal gangs.

“We are also pleading with the teachers to end the strike for children’ sake. Not teaching them is equivalent to killing them” he added. On his part the deputy secretary general of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Hassan Ole Naado raised concern over matter saying there could have been a better outcome if the government had resulted to honour the court ruling.

“The government faulted by out rightly rejecting to implement the 50-60 pay rise as ordered by the court, since it was Teachers Service Commission that went to court and not KNUT. To save the country from the current education crisis, the government should have implemented the court orders and negotiated on other concerns raised by teachers” he said.

Ole Naado added that it is inappropriate for the government to condemn private schools due to its inability to solve the pay dispute pitting teachers and its employer.

“Private schools are private entities and part of private business enterprise; therefore you cannot transfer loss of poor administration to those that are performing better. This directive will kill investment and the country’s economy” he added.

While teachers have stayed put and refused to go back to classes, the government on its part continues to maintain its stand that it does not have the money to pay the tutors with President Uhuru Kenyatta arguing that implementing the 50-60 pay rise will soar the country’s wage to 61 per cent from 52 per cent. More than 288,000 teachers have been striking since the beginning of the third term demanding for a pay increment.

Source: Friday Bulletin

Comments

Your comments here:

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

error

Share it with your friends