CS Magoha blasted by senators for ‘incompetent and absurd’ D+ move

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Education Cabinet secretary George Magoha is a man under siege for rejecting ‘D+ teacher trainees’.

Senators have summoned him along with his Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang to explain plight of  3,265 trainees kicked out of teacher training colleges early this month.

The senators have slammed the move and now want the two held accountable for what they termed as “knee-jerk reactions that do not seem to make sense”.

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The lawmakers noted the earlier decision to allow students with lower grades (D+) to join teachers training colleges was meant to improve the teacher-student ratio especially in marginalised areas.

They hold that the move by the Ministry of Education has created confusion among thousands of affected students and parents.

On her side, Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika labelled the ministry as being incompetent and a theatre of the absurd.

“One day, they come up with this policy and the next day they completely backtrack on it.

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“We are at a loss when an institution of the government such as  the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) annuls or tries to compete with the Ministry. Students were sent home through a letter from the Principal Secretary (PS), Ministry of Education. That is unacceptable,” Mandera Senator Mohamud Mohamed was quoted by People Daily.

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“We are talking of ensuring 100 per cent transition. Why conduct an examination in Class Eight and have pupils who score 100 marks join secondary school yet those who score D+ cannot join teachers training colleges?,” he posed.

Education Principal Secretary Bellio Kipsang controversially withdrew Legal Notice No.118 of 2018, which had lowered the minimum admission entry requirement to D (plain) for a certificate, C-(minus) for diploma and C+ (plus) for a degree.

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The students’ fate was sealed  at a huge cost—trauma and  fees gone down the drain after the release of the circular by Kipsang.

Each of the affected students had already paid at least Sh80,000, translating to a total of Sh116 million collectively, which will not be refunded by the colleges.

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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) protested the lowering of entry grades, saying the then Education CS Amina Mohamed was infringing on the mandate of the commission leading to a protracted tussle that ended in court.

Last month, the TSC, Education CS, Kenya National Qualifications Authority and Attorney-General agreed to quash the order in a consent signed before Justice Weldon Korir.

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