The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has opposed the proposed relocation of Kisumu Boys and Kisumu Girls High Schools to pave the way for expansion of Kisumu City’s Central Business District (CBD).
KUPPET Kisumu County Executive Secretary Zablon Awange said the move was uncalled for and a misplaced priority which shall be rejected by education sector stakeholders.
The education sector in the area, he said, faced a myriad of challenges which have been ignored by the county leadership and must be addressed first instead of focusing on the relocation of the historic schools.
He pointed out inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortage and delayed disbursement of bursaries which he said have negatively affected performance of schools in the area.
Speaking to the media in his office in Kisumu, Awange said the union will rally all stakeholders to reject the proposal and push for reforms to restore the county’s past academic glory.
Awange said it was ironic for the governor to push for relocation of the schools at a time when the county government has neglected education at primary and secondary school level.
“The County government has neglected education in primary and post primary in Kisumu claiming that their mandate is only Early Childhood Development and vocational training. It is therefore ironic for them to push for relocation of these two schools,” he said.
He asked Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o to desist from the sensitive topic and instead call a stakeholders meeting to address the state of education in the county.
The governor during a meeting with journalists in Nairobi hinted at the proposed relocation of the two schools from the CBD for the land to be put to commercial use.
Reacting to the sentiments raised by KUPPET and other stakeholders, Governor Nyong’o in a statement to the media said the move to relocate the schools was just a proposal.
The media, he said, did not get the gist of his statement, adding that the relocation of the schools was an important subject that should not be wished away.
“It is wrong to misinterpret my comments to insinuate that learning institutions are less important in society. As a scholar and public administrator I know the value of education,” read the statement in part.
The proposal, he said has come out strongly at various professional forums and documents among them, the Kisumu local physical and land development plans.
“The geophysical transformation should be supported because it is aimed at revamping the city’s infrastructure, the economy and also provision of adequate housing for residents,” he said.
The proposed plans, he said, target to have in place a sustainable urban life given that African towns are expected to host more people than the rural areas.
“This population will need food, shelter, security, a healthy environment, efficient transport system, social amenities and employment opportunities. This is why we need to debate whether we need to have highly populated schools at the center of cities where they occupy large tracts of land which remain unused,” he said.
