KUPPET’s Akello Misori Wants Parents to Co-Own Responsibility with Everyone Else Towards Learners’ Performance
He called upon a mindset transformation, urging equal respect for all schools and teachers.
KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori in a previous press briefing. Photo/ Courtesy.
By Ruth Sang
Akello Misori, Secretary General for Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers- KUPPET, has also challenged parents to be more engaged in and responsible for the education of their children, arguing that poor performance at school should not be solely attributed to the institution or their teachers. He added that it wasn’t a good practice for parents to go to extremes of demonstrations and shutting down schools when exam results fall below expectations.
Misori who spoke on a morning show aired on Ramogi TV said that if it is misplaced anger that parents are directing towards learning institutions because he believes education is a shared responsibility by teachers, learners, parents, and the government, then failure on one side will always affect the outcome. According to the union boss, parents must support their children academically as much as they are expected to offer moral support rather than disrupting learning during sad intervention courses every time results are disappointing.
He strongly condemned instances in which parents storm schools, lock gates, or organize demonstrations to articulate discontent with examination results. He argued that such activities only serve to complicate matters, thus creating an environment of tension and instability for teachers and learners. Weighty, As he said, consideration must put into account guardian contribution, which includes a conducive home environment, studies supervision, and discipline.
Concerns over School Classification
Besides parental responsibility, the KUPPET head also weighed on the education system challenges, especially regarding the categorization of secondary schools. He condemned the continued labeling by the government of schools as national, extra-county, and county saying those school categorizations do not reflect their capacity or their resourcing, arguing that such schools ought to be characterized by what they can offer in terms of infrastructure, staffing, and learning facilities.
He noted that the current classification system enhances inequality and unnecessarily puts pressure on a few institutions viewed as elite in terms of their capacity. This is why parents scramble for a limited opportunity of admission in certain schools, leaving others underutilized and misjudged.
Staffing Gaps and Pressure on Popular Schools
Misori further cited the persistent issue of inadequate teacher staffing, terming it a major setback to quality education in the country. He maintained that the government must ensure that every school-to-student ratio is strictly observed to allow the teachers to work efficiently and the learner get the required onsite assistance.
Failure to address shortage of staffing, he warned, will continue to drive parents to the few schools considered to perform better and will worsen congestion and competition in the institutions for slots. Balanced teacher deployment would help to stabilize performance across schools, he said.
Criticism of TSC and Stigma Against Day Schools
It further extended criticism to the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC), accusing it of weak planning in the deployment of teachers, asserting that uneven distribution fuelled the myth that one school is better than others, even though such differences in most cases are only structural.
In addition, Misori lamented the persistent negative perception towards day schools. He even asked why learners and teachers in day schools continuously receive social stigma while real educators undergo the same training as those in boarding institutions. He called upon a mindset transformation, urging equal respect for all schools and teachers. Ultimately, the conclusion Sad Misori-is on collective accountability by calling the responsibility on the part of parents, government agencies, and education stakeholders to work together to improve learning outcomes rather than engaging in blame games.
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