Education CS Matiangi cautions teachers against absenteeism

Following an impromptu tour of Njoro Boys High School, Nakuru County where he found that several teachers had absconded duty, Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Dr. Fred Matiang’i has warned teachers against skipping classes.

The CS toured three schools in Nakuru County, moments after attending the inauguration of Prof. Rose Mwonya as the 5^th Vice Chancellor of Egerton University.

While Matiang’i praised the school’s principal for keeping the institution clean, he expressed concern over teacher absenteeism.

Biology and chemistry teachers were reported missing in two Form Two classes while a Form One physics teacher was also absent.

“We have teachers and they are not in class! One lesson lost is a sufficient problem for education policy makers to worry about,” he said.

When Matiang’i inquired about the whereabouts of the three teachers, the principal and his deputies said they were not aware.

“I had not granted any permission to any of them,” the principal noted.

Matiang’i directed the regional Teachers Service Commission (TSC) representative, Mrs. Agnetta Kitheka, to partner with the Commission’s leadership in Nairobi in taking appropriate action on teachers who failed to perform.

“We have a shortage of qualified teachers, yet those we give jobs do not want to go to class,” he said.

Matiang’i also visited Njoro Girls School where he urged parents to take part in the lives of their children.

“Let us do everything we can to understand what is happening in the lives of our children. Quality parenting is what helps children grow holistically,” Dr. Matiang’i noted.

He also touched on the issue of vetting religious leaders who interact with students, saying it would protect students from possible radicalization and exposure to peculiar ideologies.

Matiang’i was accompanied by the Director of Field and Other Services, Mrs. Margaret Murage, the Nakuru County Director of Education, Esther Muiru, Head of School’s Audit, Esther Njeru, and other senior Education office.