KNUT.png Kenya National Union of Teacher and others*, Press Release, 21 March 2016 UN body alarmed at 'low-cost private schools' The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on 4th March 2016 published Concluding Observations based on the latest periodic reports submitted by the Government of Kenya. The CESCR is the body of experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its State parties. Regarding the right to education, the CESCR expressed its concern that: "the State party has not dedicated sufficient resources to finance school facilities and qualified teachers, to ensure effective enjoyment of the right to free primary education for all.'' KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion It further took issue with the fact that: "inadequacies in the public schooling system have led to the proliferation of so-called 'low-cost private schools' which has led to segregation or discriminatory access to education particularly for disadvantaged and marginalized children, including children living in informal settlements and arid and semi-arid areas". Further, recalling that the Government has the primary responsibility for ensuring the right to education, the Committee urged the State to: take all necessary measures to strengthen its public education sector. The Committee recommends that "The government increases the budgetary allocation to primary education and take all necessary measures to improve the access to and quality of primary education for all without hidden costs.'' Kenya National Union of Teachers' (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion pointed out that: "the recommendation to the Government to increase budgetary allocation to primary education should spur the State to address many of the challenges currently faced in public primary schools, including building more schools in areas without enough schools to serve the large population such as the informal settlements, improving facilities and employing more teachers to reduce the high pupil-teacher ratio seen in most public schools." Signed: East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights) Economic and Social Rights Centre - Hakijamii Cradle - The Children Foundation Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) International Commission of Jurists - Kenya Chapter For the full text of the press release (600 KB download): Click here <https://counter-summit.wikispaces.com/file/view/KNUT%20and%20others%2C%2016 0321%2C%20Press%20Release%20on%20UN%20CESCR%20report%2C%20in%20full.pdf/5782 71035/KNUT%20and%20others%2C%20160321%2C%20Press%20Release%20on%20UN%20CESCR %20report%2C%20in%20full.pdf> -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
