The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) now wants the government to provide security exercise for teachers stationed in volatile areas and provide them with guns.
KUPPET Acting Secretary-General Moses Nthurima says furnishing teachers with guns will not only panic attackers but will also give the teachers courage to work in the high-risk areas.
“We are repeating this demand that in the pockets of insecurity, teachers must be trained and provided with guns. You cannot confront a gunman with chalk. When we take a teacher to insecurity prone areas that teacher will constantly live in fear. But if the gun is hanging on his back even bandits will know that teacher is a no-go zone and they will take a second thought before making any mistake,” said Mr Nthurima.
The call comes following former incidents where teachers have been killed by gunmen in the North-Eastern and Coast regions.
KUPPET is also asking the government to reduce the number of boarding of schools to phase them out thoroughly, noting that teachers are overburdened.
“We have realised there is no complementarity between the efforts of the teachers and parents because one learner leave for boarding school they return home after three months and are foreigners to their parents. We want the efforts consolidated by having learners go home in the evening so that when they go to school they have an input from the parent and then they find the teacher,” said the KUPPET boss.
On the current incidents of unrest in schools, KUPPET has asked the government to move with speed to hire guidance and counselling teachers who will do nothing else but follow up on students with problems in schools.
The union has also asked that teachers be compensated with risk allowance.
“We demand that teachers are paid risk allowances. Teachers are constantly facing threats from learners and even parents and also pockets of insecurity. It has become extremely urgent that teachers are paid allowances. It cannot wait for any we more,” added Mr Nthurima.
