Babu Owino, the Embakasi East Member of Parliament has promised to carry on with his planned Chemistry revision, despite a warning from Education Principal Secretary (PS) Belio Kipsang that all untrained teachers should stop conducting online classes.
Last week, the legislator held an online mathematics revision class where he covered topics like; calculus, integration and trigonometry.
“The Principal Secretary Education Belio Kipsang is BUSKING IN THE GLORY OF HIS IGNORANCE by banning our lesson. We will PROCEED with our KCSE CHEMISTRY REVISION tomorrow at 2pm.Stay tuned on my Facebook,” reacted Babu Owino.
Undertaking an illegality
On Thursday, while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Education, PS Kipsang said that anyone offering to teach students without being qualified is undertaking an illegality.
“Anybody who is offering to teach students without being qualified is undertaking an illegality, and so is anyone circulating e-learning information that is not approved by KICD..All the content of learning delivered to students must be Approved by the KICD, whether for online learning or physical learning. And every teacher must be Qualified,” said Dr. Kipsang.
The PS added that despite the country going through unpredictable times, all students will have equal opportunities when schools re-open.
Equal opportunity to all learners
“We can assure you that nothing we are doing now will replace the inter-personal relationships of learners and teachers, and when physical learning resumes, every child will still have an equal opportunity… We are trying to mitigate the impacts of this pandemic, and to deal with the new normal that we find ourselves in. We already have an emergency plan set up to improve the coping mechanisms,” added PS Kipsang.
On the other hand, Education CS Prof. George Magoha defended private schools decision to charge for online lessons offered to students.
“When it comes to charging of Online lessons offered by teachers, let them engage the parents and agree on favorable terms. I think there is nothing wrong with charging for services delivered. E-learning is just as new to me as it is to all of you. The gov’t has been very clear that when schools re-open, we will take it from where we left,” said the CS Magoha.
