JS teachers want to be delinked from primary, demand own union. /FILE
Junior School teachers affiliated with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet ) in Embu county have accused primary school heads of intimidation and mistreatment.
The tension arises from the integration of Junior schools into primary institutions, a move that teachers say has fuelled friction with their supervisors, who allegedly view them as a threat.
According to the teachers, this arrangement has created a toxic work environment marked by disrespect and harassment from primary school heads and staff.
Led by Kuppet branch executive secretary, Jacob Karura, the teachers have petitioned the government to grant Junior schools full autonomy in order to restore their professional dignity.
They have also presented a petition to the National Assembly seeking legislation to make JSs fully independent institutions.
Karura warned that the teachers were prepared to go on strike or seek legal redress to safeguard both their careers and the Competency-Based Education (CBE), which they argued was being undermined by the current arrangement.
They further cautioned that merging pre-primary, primary and junior secondary education under one administration jeopardises the quality of learning.
To address this, they called for JSs to have their own boards, administration and governance frameworks to protect the CBE system, strengthen accountability and improve learning outcomes.
County JS interim chair David Ngari noted that the 2-6-3-3-3 education structure was designed with the understanding that each stage of learning should stand on its own, adding that the merger contradicts this principle.
Other demands raised by the teachers include ring-fencing resources allocated to JS and constructing and equipping specialised facilities such as laboratories and ICT hubs.
