BY SHADRACK NYAKOE
Education stakeholders have criticized the Government’s move to issue a circular closing all unregistered schools.
The circular was issued last week by Education PS Belio Kipsang.
This is after a wall l at Precious Talent School in Dagoreti South Constituency collapsed and killed 8 pupils.
The Association of Schools Serving Marginalized and Undeserved Communities led by Chairman Allan Masika said some officers who are taxed with inspecting schools are asking for bribes from owners of private schools.
He said those who refuse to part with a bribe- are forced to close down their schools.
He said the government officials should distinguish between safe semi-permanent buildings and unsafe semi-permanent buildings.
Masika said its wrong for the government to close down schools with semi-permanent buildings.
He added that 20,000 informal schools will be closed in the whole country leaving over 2 million children from marginalized communities without schools.
“We are concerned that the Ministry is enforcing a directive that has not given due consideration to the fate of 2 million children that rely on these schools,” Masika said.
He said parents prefer informal schools to public schools since some public schools are far from home and crowded.
The team asked the Education Ministry to halt the closure of all informal schools and dialogue with the private school owners.
The Association’s Secretary General George Mikua asked the County Education Boards to complete the registration process of schools that have met minimum criteria and submitted themselves for inspection.
“We hope that the Cabinet Secretary George Magoha will rescind this bad directive,” Mikua said.