Concerning the impending removal of the principal of Isiolo Boys High School, parents, the board of management, and local political figures have threatened to petition Parliament.
The irate community, led by Governor Abdi Guyo, has opposed James Gituma’s scheduled transfer because they believe he has helped the school achieve outstanding results.
“As leaders and parents in Isiolo, we don’t want to gamble with our children’s future. We will not allow a non-performer to be brought to the school,” the governor said.
The performance of the school has improved significantly under Gituma’s course, according to the county chief; the mean score increased from 3.6 three years ago to 5.4 last year.
Guyo declared, “We will not permit the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to bring us a headteacher who has been driven out of other schools due to subpar performance.”
The organization’s commissioner was held accountable by the leaders for the changes, which were purportedly made in order to appoint a principal from his ethnic community.
Text messages and phone calls went unanswered by TSC.
Mohammed Boru, the chairman of the school’s board of administration, and his counterpart from the Parents and Teachers Association were both adamantly against the principal’s intended move.
“Sadly, TSC has issued him with two transfers in two months, when he is keen on helping the school reclaim its lost glory,” Boru stated.
After working as the deputy principal for seven years, Gituma was officially named the headteacher of Isiolo Boys a few months ago.
Prior to his confirmation, TSC had assigned a principal to assume leadership of the school; however, the board and a few other leaders, who had commended Gitumas’ tenure at the school and insisted on his advancement, forced TSC to reverse the decision.
After his former principal Abdi Diba, to whom he deputized, left, he had been serving in an acting capacity for over a year.
Months after being promoted to the position of principal, Area MCA Salesio Kiambi stated that there was no justification for the teacher’s transfer.
“We are not ready to compromise the performance of the school. We are not against the transfer but we must be convinced that whoever is taking over is sober and not someone who is a poor performer,” he continued.
Sheikh Ahmed Set, the chairperson of the Isiolo Interfaith Network, requested that the TSC confer with all relevant parties prior to adopting decisions that could significantly affect students’ academic performance and well-being.
For a number of years, Isiolo Boys High School—once a titan of education—has been in dismal standing.
