Written by Daniel Saenyi | |
Speaking exclusive to West Fm the Bishop reiterated that the responsibility to create a credible and legitimate National Youth Council now rests upon the shoulders of Kenyan youth. ‘’The youth leaders elected should guarantee the youth of their commitment to transform the National Youth Council into a reliable, youth led, independent, responsive, effective and sustainable institution,’’ said Bishop George Mechumo The bishop said with the enactment of the new constitution he was sure the National Youth Council would be effective and urged the Government to effectively facilitate them to cater for youth interest in the country. ‘’It’s my prayer that the elected ones in Bungoma county or any other part of the country don’t serve the wishes of politicians but focus on the way of shaping this country.’’ believed the bishop
Articulating the importance of the National Youth Council in the current society the bishop said it will go along providing the youth with a rare opportunity to elect youth leaders who could be viewed as representative of youth leadership at the council but also at the national mainstream arena. ‘’Kenyans are somewhat cynic of youth leadership but the youths elected should use the opportunity to refresh confidence in youth leadership in the country.’’ He added It is envisaged that once constituted, the National Youth Council will be the official youth representative for the Kenyan youth at various levels. NYC is expected to regulate, coordinate and facilitate activities and initiatives relating to youth to ensure that the Government and other policy makers are kept informed of the views and aspirations of the youth. Youth participation is essential in the formation of the National Youth Council to bolster its legitimacy and the confidence of the youth leaders to fulfill the outlined mandate and expectations of the youth. Youth in Kenya face myriad socio-economic problems that include unemployment, underemployment, HIV/Aids, poverty, lack and poor quality of education, poor access to health services, lack of decent livelihoods amongst others. |
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Demonstrate your leadership abilities – youth council leaders told
Bungoma Diocese Anglican Church of Kenya Bishop George Mechumo has urged the youths elected into the National Youth Council 2011 to use the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to govern.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Teachers Say, Scrap the Best Teacher and Best Principal Award.
The Best teacher, best principal and best head teacher awards are the most prestigious awards most teachers look forward to on an education day. This year, the awards have been met with a lot of controversies as some teachers insist that they should be done away with.
Many teachers have suggested that the award should cease to exist because it demoralizes some teachers as opposed to its intention. Some teachers may work hard to try to be recognized by the public but in the end their efforts are fruitless, so they decide not to perform because they are not appreciated.
What criteria do they use to identify the deserving teachers? This is the question on every teacher’s mind the moment the topic is brought up. The criteria the ministry of education uses to identify this teachers is not known to the public so everyone is kept in the dark hoping they are chosen when they were not considered.
Award trophies at an Education Day Ceremony
Education facilities differ in many ways, private schools are different from public schools, and they should consider this when making the decision on award. If the award is to keep on existing, they should categorize institutions like rural and urban schools or private from public.
According to Makutano Primary’s head teacher, Mr. Amos Mayeko , some teachers who don’t deserve it get recognition on others expense. Incases of transfers, those teachers who natured the pupils to excel may get transfers before they are recognized for their work.
“The teacher who lays foundation for these pupils may get transferred when the awards are near and the new teacher may get recognition when they haven’t even taught they students for long. The same applies to principals and head teachers who could get transfers before their school is awarded as the best. “Said Mr. Mayeko.
Mr. Mayeko said, “It’s only the pupils and students of the school or class who know who the best and worst teacher is, and no student is ever asked to give their opinion. I think the people who give this awards should do thorough research before awarding someone as the best because in most cases the come up with the wrong conclusions.”
Mrs. Juliana Simiyu, the head teacher for Mewa Academy, also insisted that the criteria are not the best way to award teachers. According to Mrs. Simiyu, these awards are only given to popular teachers who are already known by the public even though they don’t perform.
“Even if I work in a private school and many would expect me to against banning the awards, I think these awards are biased and they are only given to specific people. These awards are meant to motivate teachers but instead they are killing their morale. They are mostly given to teachers who are known and leave out the underdogs even when they perform better than popular ones.” Said Mrs. Simiyu.
A Principal Receiving an Award from the Education Assistant Minister Ayieko Olweny
The government should categorize teachers and schools so that the award is given to the schools according to the division they fall under as they have been categorized. If the award is to be generalized, the less developed schools should be upgrade so the can rise to the standards of their competitors.
For the awards to be fair and square, more resources should be allocated to the marginalized schools, and we should remind the ministry of education that neglecting the vulnerable is a violation of their fundamental human rights. The government should prioritize investment in the schools by reviewing their policy framework with the purpose of supporting the Millennium Development Goals, and as such we should echo the call for the employment of more teachers and better facilities for the schools.