Why KNUT Opposes Govt’s Plan to Privatize universities
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary general, Collins Oyuu, has expressed the union’s opposition to the idea of privatising universities in the country.
Education is a fundamental right and should be accessible to every child, according to Oyuu. He believes that privatising education goes against the norm and that learning will not be as required if this happens.
Furthermore, Oyuu believes that privatising education will hinder the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) geared towards Agenda 2030.
On Tuesday, teachers from primary and secondary schools, along with lecturers, opposed a proposal to privatise some public universities. The education unions launched research findings on the campaign against the privatisation and commercialisation of education.
The research explained the difference between privatisation and commercialisation of education, with privatisation mainly concerned with the increase in the number of institutions offering education privately, while commercialisation is the creation, marketing, and sale of education as a product for commercial gain.
The unionist called for the improvement of public schools, as many parents are drawn to private schools. Oyuu believes that public schools should be revamped to make them more attractive to parents, learners, and workers.
Education should not be sold or commercialised, according to Oyuu. He stated that if the country continues to privatise education, it will not be able to reach the SDG4 goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The move to privatise education will hinder the attainment of the SDG goals and should be stopped.
“Revamp public schools to make them more attractive to parents, learners and workers,” Oyuu said.
Why KNUT Opposes Govt’s Plan to Privatize universities
