Exam candidates to benefit from free tuition

By EUGENE OMILO 

A charity organization in Mombasa has partnered with a private tuition centre to assist national exam candidates in revision should teachers make good their threat to go on strike next week.

The Shariff Nassir Foundation has announced its is plans to launch free tuition classes at Istiqama tuition centres for form four and standard eight pupils who are set to sit for their exams in October and November respectively.

While speaking from Dubai, Sharif Nassir Foundation chairman  Abdullswamad Nassir said the programme is targeting more than 3000 pupils from within Mombasa county.

During a previous teachers strike last year, more than close to 100 pupils benefited from a similar programme in its centers in Majengo and Mwembe Kuku areas.

At the same time, Mr. Nassir called on the government to give an ear to the teachers’ unions to  solve the impasse in time so as to avoid inconveniencing exam candidates countrywide.

“As much as we empathize with our teachers, we also fear for our students’ performance in the coming exams and we have decided to come up with alternative remedial classes for them just in case the strike persists,” he said.

Istiqama tuition centre director Mr. Mwenye Omar confirmed the plans saying his institution has put in place adequate measures to serve the pupils.

He said three centres in Likoni’s Shika Adabu area and two others within Mombasa Island have been expanded and fully furnished for the anticipated increased number of learners to expect to turn out for the programme since it is free of charge.

"The Foundation has agreed to provide revision materials and offset other operating costs during the whole exercise.This will go along way to helping  a majority of candidates most of whom cannot private coaching," he said.

Mr. Omar said the centres have qualified teachers for all subjects in both classes and that the tuition classes will be carried out during weekdays from 2 pm to  pm. 

“We believe this initiative will help our candidates to cope up emotionally with the situation as well as keep them away from induliging in unbecoming conduct since they will have a lot of free time in their hands,” said Mr. Nassir. 

He also called on the teachers to be able to cede some ground in their demands if that is what it will take to end the impending strike for the sake of restoring learning in the public schools.

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