From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 6:48 AM

CONFLICTS OF ECONOMIC INTERESTS ARE THE MAIN SOURCE OF DISCONTENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NYANZA AS PTAS AND BOGS ENGAGE IN WAR OF ATTRITION.

Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

CONFLICTS of economic interests are the main cause of tensions between the Parents Teachers Associations {PTAs}, the Boards of Governors{BOGs} , head principals and head teachers in various schools in Nyanza Province.

In most schools, the principals and head teachers, the Parents Teachers Association and the Boards of Governors are always at war of attrition over petty issues such as the supplies of food-stuff, detergents, hardware and building materials.

It is even worse, particularly when the money involved is disbursed from the government evolving funds such as CDF and school bursary cash. It is always a big scramble as each and every group want to have a cut in the money.

Other contentious issues which the Government must step into to ensure they are resolved amicably is the question of head teachers importing their relatives and friends from their back home and employing them as members of non-teaching and backup manual laborers in the schools which they head, to the chagrins of the local communities.

In some schools, the greedy head teachers have imported their own kin and engaged them on petty work at the facilities such as grass clearing, cleaners, sweepers ,cooks, drivers at the expense of the locals.

It can be remembered that districts, nationals etc were established after independence in 1963. The school were established through the sweats and sacrifices of the local communities, and the government only moved in and took over the management of the schools. These people {Members of the local communities} feel bitter about seeing strangers employed on petty jobs, which could easily be filled with their own sons and daughters.

It makes no sense for a head teacher who hails from Seme in Kisumu West district, but heading a secondary school in a rural Migori or Nyatike districts, to import his or her relatives . All kinds of workers could easily be sourced from within the locality. But this is the common practice with the head teachers inside Luo-Nyanza.

And when cornered, the head teachers resort to dirty tricks and tactics of inciting students to street demonstrations and name calling protests against the PTA members perceived to be enraged over these matters.

My investigations has revealed that as soon as the new head of a secondary school is transferred to a new station of work, such teachers begin their work by weeding out all key staff who were serving his predecessor, such as bursar, clerks, messengers, day and night watchmen. The staffers are mostly the locals, and the new head teachers want to create employment opportunities for their kin and friends..

Other head teachers have adopted the bad habit of making themselves the suppliers of all the essential supplies to their schools. Such supplies are purchased with the monies from the school’s own coffers through the proxies, just for the purpose of minting more profits from the schools funds.

A case in point is that of a head teacher, who is alleged to be using the school money for purchasing beef cattle, to be slaughtered at the nearby butchery. The meat of poor quality, taken out of the cow, are feed to the students, while the best part is sold to the public for huge profits.

Another area of open abuse of offices, is the practice by the head teachers of misusing school buses, which are serving their relatives when ferrying them to funerals almost on weekly basis to the homes of their dead relatives. This is in total disregard of the bus’s wear and tear and the expenses involved. The school buses are insured exclusively for the use of students and teachers, and strictly not outsiders. This practice must come to a stop.

There is also a clear evidence of inefficiency and incompetence in terms of secondary school supervision in Nyanza Province. Non-performing head teachers, who have overstayed in one station of work, and become wealthy by engaging in illicit trades and supplies of material to their own school, are usually allegedly dishing out money to their supervisors, against any possibility of them being transferred to other schools.

This pathetic situation calls for overhauling of schools management in the entire Province, and radical changes put in place. Such changes must include the tendering system for the supplies to that school, which must be done at a central place for all schools in order to avoid corruptive practices by the principals and head teachers.

It does not make sense for a head teacher to engage his kin, who is a not a local person, as painter or a carpenter, maintaining woodworks at the school, and yet this categories of workers are so much in abundance within the locality. All these kinds of nepotism and clanism must come to an immediate end if the schools in the region are to maintain high standard of education and good performance at the national exams. Non-performing teachers who have stayed in one school for more than eight years should be reshuffled, particularly in those schools which do not score sufficient marks for the university entry points.

The Luo MPs are silent over these contentious issues. Why? The e issues need to be addressed as a matter of to priority and the high level of school management restored.

Ends

leoderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Subject: Conflicts of economic interests are ruining secondary schools in Nyanza Province