Schools operating within Masaba North district without permission from the Ministry of Education face indefinite closure and its owners may be apprehended and arraigned in court, a senior education officer has said.
This comes after an assessment done by the education department in the region established that over 10 schools were in operation without accreditation by the ministry.
Speaking on Tuesday during a burial ceremony at Riamoni village, Titus Mbuvi of Masaba North district said his officers will serve affected institutions ahead of reopening of schools on Monday and whoever defies them would be apprehended.
“It has come to our attention that some schools are in operation without official permission from the ministry. Most of them do not meet required standards and are using untrained teachers to meet their objectives,” he said.
“We are going to close them down starting next week and whoever defies that directive will face the law. We must stand firm and protect our education systems without giving in to such kind of businesses,” he added.
His sentiments were supported by James Oteki of Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Nyamira branch who asked parents to be careful with institutions where they take their children to receive education.
“As Knut, we will support the ministry fight this vice. We can no longer sit back and witness people half-baking our children in the name of profit making. Parents have also a role to play by ensuring they take children to institutions which are accredited by the government,” he said.