JSS teachers to petition MPs over their autonomy

More than 1,500 junior secondary school (JSS) teachers in Kilifi County have announced plans to file a petition in Parliament to urge the government to grant them autonomy.

They said they would collect signatures from all JSS teachers in the county to initiate the process within the next two weeks.

Addressing a press conference organised by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) in Malindi, Jairus Sang called on their colleagues across the country to join the initiative.

He said JSS teachers were suffering due to the lack of autonomy, adding that the only solution was to make them independent to enable effective service delivery.

Sang, a teacher at Kurawa Secondary School in Magarini and also a Kuppet official, stated that the only path to achieving this was by ensuring jJunior Secondary School becomes autonomous.

Joel Aluku, a Kuppet official from Magarini sub-County, urged the government to grant autonomy to JSS teachers to enable them to perform optimally in their respective institutions.

He said JSS teachers were currently distracted by the ongoing struggle for autonomy and called on the government to act swiftly to ensure they work effectively.

Lewis Kingi, a teacher from Magarini, said called on the Ministry of Education and the Kenya Kwanza Government to grant the JSS teachers autonomy as stipulated in the Constitution. 

Macdonald Kanda, a junior secondary school teacher, said that there was no work-life balance, as currently they were handling over 40 lessons per week, which was above the stipulated work plans. 

He said that JSS schools have no specialised spaces essential for the CBE, which is supposed to be implemented, adding that there was also administration confusion. 

Kanda said that there is supposed to be a principal for the principal for junior secondary school so as to handle matters specifically for them. 

Dennis Bingo, a JSS teacher, said that when autonomy is actualised, there would be specific leadership for junior secondary and enough teachers for that level. 

Atitwa Owenyo said that they held consultation with other stakeholders and reached a conclusion that autonomy has to be actualised so as to do away with the confusion that is in junior secondary schools.