Education Stakeholders Call for Extension of Mid-Term Break as Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition demonstrations are slated for Monday.
The education stakeholders are worried about the safety of both teachers and learners who may have to travel back to school on Monday.
The Chairperson of the National Parents Association Silas Obuhatsa urged President William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga to have a dialogue with the current administration to avoid a possible crisis.
Obuhatsa fears that learners who are travelling for long distances might be caught up in the chaos and hooligans could take advantage of the situation to harm them.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairperson Omboko Milemba also implored authorities to postpone the resumption of learning after the mid-term break to Wednesday to ensure the security of children, teachers and workers.
“We are asking the Ministry of Education to adjust the half-term accordingly. Doing so does not show we support Azimio but it is about the security of children, teachers and workers,” said Milemba.
However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said that changing of the reporting dates might be seen as a way of supporting Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga called for demonstrations across the country in a bid to force the government to lower the cost of living among other demands.
On their part, parents have also expressed their concerns about the safety of their children with some calling for the school administration to allow children to resume on Tuesday instead of Monday if the situation will be favourable.
One of the parents who opted to be anonymous said that he would delay the reporting dates of his children until the situation has settled.
The two opposing political divides have to come to the common ground sooner in order to find a solution to the current problems.
Leaders have to use the ‘third’ eye to ensure that the country is not thrown into chaos.