Persons conducting online lessons during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic are committing an illegality, Education Principal Secretary (PS) Belio Kipsang said on Thursday.
The PS said despite the health crisis that led to the closure of all schools by the ministry, the education regulations by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) stands.
“Anybody who is offering to teach students without being qualified is undertaking an illegality, and so is anyone circulating e-learning information that is not approved by KICD (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development), ” said Kipsang warning the ministry will take action.
Kipsang said for a person to be qualified to teach they must be registered with TSC.
“All the content of learning delivered to students must be approved by the KICD, whether for online learning or physical learning. And every teacher must be qualified.”
The PS was addressing questions raised by the National Assembly Committee on Education. He was accompanied by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.
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Over the recent past, several individuals have come forward to offer lessons on online platforms including Facebook and Youtube. Some of these persons are not qualified teachers but claim to have the required skills to take learners “idle” at home through revisions ahead of national exams scheduled for late this year.
For instance, last Saturday Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili better known as Babu Owino won the hearts of many Kenyans on social media after offering to revise mathematics questions for form four candidates. The session was streamed live on his social media pages.
A first-class degree holder in Actuarial Science, Babu took the learners through topics regarded by learners as “hard” including differentiation, calculus, integration and trigonometry.
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“Mathematics is the easiest subject on earth,” the MP encouraged the students before starting the lesson. He also apologised to students who don’t have the technology to help them benefit from the lessons.
The University of Nairobi graduate did his form four examinations in Kisumu Boys and scored an A-minus of 79 points.
The self-declared intellectual is remembered for his selfless role of championing for student interests while a student leader at the University of Nairobi.
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While responding to questions on needy students not able to access learning materials from the ministry of education via radio, TV or Youtube, CS Mogaha said learning will resume from where it stopped when schools closed.
Magoha disagreed with the MPs that the learners are disadvantaged as they will not perform to expectations in national examinations when compared to their colleagues who have access to earning materials.
He said, “education is not just about exams. It’s a continuous process and exams is just one of those things.”
“The govt at this time, will not consider stopping e-learning. Our children who are able to access virtual learning will continue to get, despite others not being able to.”
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