Parents Protest Over Demands Issued By Schools

Concerns have been raised by parents over some of the items needed by teachers to administer Grade Four school-based tests which enter the second week today.

Education CS George Magoha complained over the demands issued by school heads after Grade 4 assessment exams commenced.

CS Magoha took issue with the fact that headteachers were piling pressure on both students and parents, with some of the demands being outrageous.

Parents had raised concerns that they were being pushed to purchase some items that were not listed by Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) for Competency-Based-Curriculum (CBC).

“We advised teachers to make the assessments as local as possible and based on items that are readily available within the school set up,” said Knec Acting Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha also asked headteachers not to put Grade 4 pupils under undue pressure during the administration of the tests.

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CS George Magoha urged both parents and teachers not to put pressure on children about the assessments because they are not examinations. Even parents must stop putting pressure on the learners because these are not examinations.

Magoha said that KNEC has already provided guidelines on this important assessment, which is part of the successful implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum.

Parents said that they were asked to avail material such as old shirts, shoes, short sticks, polythene papers, vegetables, cereals, and groceries for agriculture tests.

For some other courses like Home Science and Arts, the guardians were asked to provide extra materials that were not listed by KNEC

“Schools are totally opposing our agreement and are now pushing us to buy other items. We had agreed they use local materials,” National Parents Association Chairman Nicholas Maiyo said, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has strained the financial status of parents.

He asked teachers to consider the schools’ environment before asking for items. He added that teachers must be sensitive enough to understand their environment and know some items can push parents to look for money.

KNEC reiterated that teachers ought to follow the list and use readily available materials, while the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) urged its officials to ensure the tests were undertaken in a fair environment.

CS George Magoha said the assessments should be on available material within the school setup. He said that  KNEC has already provided guidelines on this important assessment, which is part of the successful implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).