{"id":6533,"date":"2026-10-04T09:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T09:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/?p=6533"},"modified":"2026-10-04T09:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T09:36:47","slug":"parents-sound-alarm-over-cemasteas-future-demand-stronger-npa-in-education-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/?p=6533","title":{"rendered":"Parents Sound Alarm Over CEMASTEA\u2019s Future, Demand Stronger NPA in Education Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Parents Sound Alarm Over CEMASTEA\u2019s Future, Demand Stronger NPA in Education Bill<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nairobi, Kenya \u2014 October 4, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By Jeff Kizzilah Digital Editor\u00a0<\/strong><\/pre>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Parents and education stakeholders from across Kenya are calling on Parliament to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA)<\/strong> and the National Parents Association (NPA)<\/strong> under the proposed Basic Education Bill, 2026.<\/p>\n
The parents want both institutions to be granted stand-alone corporate status, clear mandates and adequate operational capacity while remaining firmly within Government and subject to Government policy, oversight and accountability.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n
The appeal follows views presented by parents during the recently concluded National Parliamentary Hearings on the Basic Education Bill, 2026<\/strong>, where parents from all 47 counties participated in public consultations.<\/p>\n
CEMASTEA\u2019s African Role<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Parents say CEMASTEA should not be viewed merely as another Government institution because of its growing role in mathematics, science, technology and STEM education across Africa.<\/p>\n
CEMASTEA supports teacher professional development, STEM education, research, partnerships and implementation of education reforms. It also hosts the headquarters and Secretariat of SMASE-Africa<\/strong>, a network with 27 registered African member countries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Parents argue that weakening CEMASTEA could have implications beyond Kenya by disrupting an established platform through which African countries exchange professional knowledge, conduct technical workshops, undertake research and collaborate on mathematics, science and technology education.<\/p>\n
They are therefore urging Parliament to protect CEMASTEA’s capacity to continue hosting and coordinating this continental network while expanding engagement with other African countries and education partners.<\/p>\n
\u2018Stand-Alone Does Not Mean Outside Government\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The parents have emphasised that their proposal does not seek to remove CEMASTEA or NPA from Government.<\/p>\n
Instead, they want the two institutions to have a clear corporate identity, full mandates and sufficient financial, technical and operational capacity<\/strong> to perform their specialised responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cStand-alone does not mean outside Government,\u201d the parents said, insisting that both institutions should remain aligned with national education policy and accountable to Government, Parliament and the law.<\/p>\n
More Than 100 Parents Back the Call<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The position was further reinforced during a National Parents Association press conference held on Saturday at PCEA Milele Hotel, South C, Nairobi<\/strong>, where more than 100 parents and representatives attended.<\/p>\n
The meeting was led by National Parents Association Chairman Silas David Obuhatsa<\/strong>, who presented the parents’ demand for stronger institutional frameworks for both CEMASTEA and NPA.<\/p>\n
Among those who attended were Gabriel Sang<\/strong>, NPA Chairperson for Narok County; Eliot<\/strong>, NPA Chairperson for Nandi County; Gabriel Obuya<\/strong>, NPA Chairperson for Busia County; and Evans Omosa<\/strong>, representing Kisii and Nyamira counties.<\/p>\n
Parents Want Stronger NPA<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The parents also want NPA to receive stand-alone corporate status and a clear national mandate to represent, engage and empower parents.<\/p>\n
They argue that a stronger NPA would provide an organised national platform for parental participation and create a more effective link between parents, Government, teachers, schools and other education stakeholders.<\/p>\n
Parents further see an opportunity for CEMASTEA and NPA to work more closely, particularly in helping families understand STEM education, learner pathways and opportunities in science and technology.<\/p>\n
Appeal to Parliament<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The parents are calling on the National Assembly and Senate to:<\/p>\n
    \n
  • Grant CEMASTEA stand-alone corporate status within Government<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • Give CEMASTEA a clear and specialised mandate.<\/li>\n
  • Protect its national and continental STEM education role.<\/li>\n
  • Safeguard its relationships with the 27 SMASE-Africa member countries.<\/li>\n
  • Provide adequate financial, technical and operational capacity.<\/li>\n
  • Grant NPA stand-alone corporate status within Government.<\/li>\n
  • Give NPA a clear mandate to represent and empower parents.<\/li>\n
  • Establish clear accountability mechanisms for both institutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \u2018Strengthen, Don\u2019t Weaken\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    The parents maintain that the 2026 Basic Education Bill should strengthen rather than weaken institutions that play critical roles in Kenya’s education system.<\/p>\n
    They argue that CEMASTEA’s continental responsibilities make its institutional stability particularly important, while a stronger NPA would ensure that parents have a meaningful and organised voice in education policy and implementation.<\/p>\n
    Their message to Parliament is therefore unequivocal:<\/p>\n
    Strong CEMASTEA within Government.
    \nStrong NPA within Government.
    \nFull mandate.
    \nFull corporate capacity.
    \nClear accountability.
    \nProtected African partnerships.<\/strong><\/p>\n
    Stronger education for Kenya and Africa.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    Parents Sound Alarm Over CEMASTEA\u2019s Future, Demand Stronger NPA in Education Bill Nairobi, Kenya \u2014 October 4, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6533"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6536,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6533\/revisions\/6536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livenation254.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}