The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Deputy County Director to Makeuni County David Gutu has urged teachers to be careful with their personal information because cybercrime is on the rise.
It has been revealed that some criminals have managed to solicit funds fraudulently.
Ogutu blamed some teachers for visiting cyber cafes for internet services where they trust all their personal information to attendants of those cyber cafes leading to a breach of their privacy.
“Some teachers are not that old but still cannot do some things by themselves in cyber cafes this baffles me. The older teachers who are not conversant with IT we can understand but the young ones, it is a joke, for real,” said Ogutu.
The Makueni TSC Deputy County Commission who was speaking while at Wote, in Makueni County said that some teachers have indeed ended up paying for loans that they did not apply for.
Issues of security are so crucial and even if teachers ask for assistance while at cyber cafes, they should change their passwords for their relevant accounts after that.
Ogutu cited an example whereby a phone number he did not reveal had been used to call teachers and falsely promise to promote them and they ask for a sum of money to do so.
“Some people are using a phone number claiming to be Deputy Directors at TSC. Do confirm with your Curriculum Support Officer (CSO) and do not be in any hurry to give your information. Be a proper and a competent manager of yourself,” added Mr Ogutu.
In the upcoming national examinations, the Ministry of Education urged all teachers and heads of institutions involved in the management of the national examinations to ensure they do not engage in any malpractice and their phones and phone numbers will be tracked in case of any incident.
Last year, Betta Mutuku, principal to ABC Kiseveni Secondary School in Machakos County was nabbed for posting a KCSE Mathematics Paper on her Whatsapp Status. The police stormed the school a few hours before the examinations started and took her in for questioning. The principal’s phone was confiscated during the arrest and was used to build evidence for her case.
This should serve as a caution to all teachers thinking to engage in any malpractice.