Northern Kenya

North Eastern primary school heads ask state to boost electricity supply for CBC

Hassan Farah, the North Eastern chair of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA), during their first annual conference at the Garissa Primary School on April 15, 2024. (Photo: Abdimalik Hajir)

By Abdimalik Hajir | Monday, April 15, 2024

Most schools in the region are in rural areas that do not have access to power connections, they say.

Primary school head teachers in North Eastern Kenya have asked the government to boost the electricity supply so they can fully embrace technology and ensure the success of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Speaking at the Garissa Primary School on Monday, during the first annual conference of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA), regional chairman Hassan Farah said most schools in the region are in rural areas that do not have access to power connections.

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"Most of our head teachers are in rural schools that do not have power connections yet technology needs power. We are asking our teachers to embrace technology and the government to enhance power in these schools," said Hassan.

He regretted that the solar panels in most schools have malfunctioned, a situation he said will continue to negatively affect performance in the region at a time when the world is going digital.

North Eastern school heads attend the first annual conference of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA) at the Garissa Primary School on April 15, 2024. (Photo: Abdimalik Hajir)

Junior secondary schools in the region, according to Hassan, require classified laboratory materials that rely on a consistent power supply.

"The CBC is talent-based so we need more laboratories. Currently, most schools are using the laboratories of neighbouring secondary schools for their operations," he said.

The conference is themed "Advancing Basic Education Effectiveness in Kenya through Informative Leadership and Management in the Digital Age." It brought together teachers from three counties: Mandera, Wajir and Garissa.

Hassan said, however, that most of the teachers in these counties did not make it to the conference due to heavy rains that have rendered roads impassable.

North Eastern school heads attend the first annual conference of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA) at the Garissa Primary School on April 15, 2024. (Photo: Abdimalik Hajir)

Attendants took issue with the severe teacher shortages both at the primary and junior secondary schools, saying experts on particular subjects were also unavailable.

"The challenge we are facing as a region is that there are a few junior secondary teachers in the arts and some are teaching all nine subjects. For instance, you will find that one teaching CRE/history also teaching biology, mathematics and science-based subjects," he told The Eastleigh Voice.

The school heads asked the government to address the staffing issues in the region, noting that many youths have taken up teaching as a course and should be given priority in employment.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has in the past transferred hundreds of teachers over safety concerns after some fell victim to attacks by the terror group Al-Shabaab.