Mwiteria teachers celebrate their day — and speak plainly about its challenges
Juliet Arimi, the headteacher at Mwiteria comprehensive school addresses the press. Photo by Brian Gitonga
From raising the flag to leading assembly, educators at one Meru school turned the occasion into something genuinely their own
By Brian Gitonga
Teachers at Mwiteria Comprehensive School marked World Teachers’ Day yesterday with a celebration that was equal parts reflection and candour — honouring the profession while speaking honestly about the pressures that come with it.
The occasion brought together serving teachers, retired educators and learners at the school in North Imenti Constituency, with the day’s activities designed to put teachers front and centre in a way that went beyond the usual speeches. From the morning assembly, it was the teachers who raised the Kenyan flag, led the singing and addressed the children. Head teacher Juliet Arimi said that was exactly the point.
“Right from the morning assembly, it was the teachers who raised the flag, sang to the children and preached. They literally did everything,” Arimi said.
Retired teachers were also invited to interact with younger colleagues and share lessons drawn from long careers in the classroom. Arimi said the intergenerational exchange was intended to give newer educators a clearer sense of what the profession demands over time. Learners were not left out either, joining in through singing and other activities that kept the celebrations warm and inclusive.
Arimi said the occasion was an important reminder of how far teachers’ influence reaches — into health, aviation, administration, education and virtually every professional field. Yet she was equally candid about the challenges that educators continue to face, including from some parents and community members who, she said, do not always appreciate the decisions teachers make in guiding children.
“Teachers encounter many challenges. They work very hard, but at times you might have parents who do not appreciate the work you do,” she said.
She appealed to parents to weigh teachers’ overall contribution rather than judging them on isolated incidents, noting that educators, like anyone else, were not immune to occasional mistakes. Tensions, she added, often arose when teachers tried to correct learners’ behaviour — a responsibility she described as inseparable from the job.
“There are instances when we try to correct and discipline a child because a teacher cannot stay with a child without correcting their behaviour, discipline and even education. These are the times you find that the community does not understand,” Arimi said.
The implementation of Competency-Based Education also came up as a source of friction. Arimi said some parents push back when learners are asked to bring materials for practical activities, even though such exercises are designed to help children identify and develop their individual abilities and talents. She was firm that CBE could not achieve its objectives without teachers, learners and parents working in concert.
Within the school itself, however, that spirit of cooperation appears well established. Mwiteria Comprehensive School has 265 learners in early childhood development and education, 611 in the primary section and 270 in junior school. Despite teaching across different levels, Arimi said the staff operate as a single unit — a quality she credited with much of the school’s growing reputation in the constituency.
“When you come here, you cannot tell the difference among the teachers because we know what brought us here is teaching these children, and therefore we work as a team,” she said.
That teamwork extends well beyond the classroom. During football training, music festivals and other co-curricular activities under CBE, teachers cross the boundaries of their assigned sections freely. An ECDE teacher might coach junior school students through a music piece; a primary section teacher might turn up on the football pitch. Arimi said teachers also make a point of celebrating learners’ achievements across all levels, not only in the sections they teach directly.
“Even in games such as football, all these teachers work as a team. During music festivals, you can find an ECDE teacher teaching music to junior school students. That is why we work as a team,” she said.
She also acknowledged parents for the support they have shown the school, saying their cooperation alongside teachers’ commitment had been central to its progress.
World Teachers’ Day is observed annually on October 5. For the staff at Mwiteria, yesterday’s celebrations were both a moment of pride and a straightforward conversation about what it genuinely takes to educate and nurture children — day after day, year after year.
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