KUPPET raises concerns about government's failure to equip them with modern skills

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) on Monday, October 5 has raised concerns about the failure of the government to equip them with modern skills, according to a news report by Kenyams.co.ke.

This comes at a time when the globe is marking the World Teacher's Day despite schools across the country being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers asked the government to take seriously their concerns that mainly focused on lack of information, communications, and technology skills.

"The provision of the physical and sanitary infrastructure essential to keeping learners, teachers, and school communities safe by mitigating risk elements that affect the spread of transmittable ailments such as overcrowding and sharing facilities.

"Creating a regulatory regime for alternative learning to mainstream online learning in the curriculum and promote the production of digital open-access content at all levels of education," read a statement from KUPPET.

The union asked the government to issue priority on technological projects through the expansion of electricity connection, incentivizing telecommunication companies to extend data coverage, the establishment of science parks, and promote IT literacy across all levels of learning.

Tutors asked for the re-orientation of teacher training to meet the needs of today's technological workplace. They added that teachers should be conversant with producing or adapting internet-based learning materials.

Finally, teachers pleaded with the government to recruit more tutors to cater for the increased number of classes and workload upon the rollout of social distancing protocols.