Five schools from Mekenene Zone in Borabu constituency have kicked off their December tuition exercise despite a ban that was imposed in 2012.
The exercise has attracted several students from the region with some other students from the neighboring Gesima zone opting to join them, with only the upper classes being involved actively.
According to Alfred Gisemba, the head teacher of Mwongori Primary School head who also chairs the zone’s education committee, says area primary school heads had written to the government to inform them of the plan due to ‘unfinished’ business in the troubled third term.
“The nation is aware that children did not attend school for the whole of September due to the teachers strike hence I don’t think our plans caught anybody with surprise.
We wrote to education officials and no one has responded. We had to convene a special tuition to help our children cover their third term work,” he said.
According to him, the school had consulted parents jointly before they arrived at the decision to conduct a special tuition.
“It’s a decision that was arrived at when teachers and parents from Mekenene sat and ironed out the issue. My school is even receiving children from Gesima zone meaning many parents are of the idea that we help complete the syllabus,” Gisemba added.
He urged the government in future to come with a clear plan on recovering lost time whenever children get affected as a result of strikes.
“No one likes strikes, not even teachers and that is what many don’t know. As teachers, we want to see our children performing but whenever we have industrial action, it is proper for us to create time for our children to cover what they didn’t. We are not defying the ban,” he said.
He urged the government to accommodate teachers who are willing to help children from upper primary cover their syllabus this December holiday.
Among the schools that have embraced the tuition include Mwongori, Borabu, Mekenene, Mogusii and Highway primary schools.