By Habiba Wakio
Njeri sighed as she collapsed into her seat, exhausted from a day filled with back-to-back lessons and overcrowded classrooms. With the strain of teaching eighty students and grappling with the challenges of a new curriculum, she felt the weight of her responsibilities as a junior secondary teacher.
In the midst of her exhaustion, Njeri couldn’t help but reflect on the state of education infrastructure in Kenya. With limited resources and overcrowded classrooms, teachers like her struggled to deliver quality education to their students. The new curriculum, while well-intentioned, only added to the complexity of teaching, requiring teachers to navigate multiple subjects with inadequate resources.
As Njeri sipped her tea and nibbled on cookies, she couldn’t shake the frustration of her stagnant salary, which barely covered her basic needs. With prices rising and her income remaining unchanged, she felt the strain of financial insecurity.
In light of these challenges, Njeri called for a shift in government priorities. Instead of investing in projects like affordable housing, which she deemed less urgent, she urged the government to prioritize education infrastructure. By allocating funds to improve classroom conditions, reduce teacher-student ratios, and provide essential resources like textbooks, the government could empower educators to work more effectively and ensure better outcomes for students.
Njeri’s plea resonates with countless teachers across Kenya who grapple with similar challenges every day. It’s time for the government to listen and act, setting its priorities straight and investing in the future of the country through education.
