Garissa schools have been advised to urgently hire private teachers after non-local tutors from the Teachers Service Commission left citing insecurity and constant intimidation.
Garissa County Education Board has instructed the Board of Management in all the affected schools to urgently convene a meeting with parents and hire new teachers.
This was reached after a daylong crisis meeting meant to come up with a stop gap measure.
Through the chair, Aden Abdullahi, the board wants TSC to immediately cancel all the transfers, claiming insecurity has been blown out of proportion.
Aden on Sunday claimed other non-local teachers are going on with normal learning in private schools in the border towns of Hulugho and Dadaab and wondered why only the TSC teachers left.
The board overruled the earlier pronouncement by BOM to close down schools come Monday this week if the situation is not urgently addressed.
The mass transfer was occasioned by the killing of three non-local teachers by Al Shabaab thugs at Kamuthe Primary School on January 13.
This prompted the County Education Board to remove teachers from the four sub-counties of Dadaaab, Fafi, Ijara and Hulugho to perceived safer counties of Garissa township, Balambala and Lagdera.
TSC later began mass transfer of all non-local teachers out of Garissa County, something that has disoriented the running and management of schools.
Area County Commissioner Meru Mwangi, speaking separately, termed the move as unfortunate and one that was arrived at without proper consultation.
He said all government departments must work as a team.
Mwangi further called on local leaders to come together and address the current issues affecting education, including the transfer of teachers, with a view of finding home-grown solution.
The decision by the board was quickly dismissed by a retired educationist Hasssan Sheikh, accusing the government of double speak and insincerity in dealing with education in the region.
Hassan said the region was confused on who to take instructions from claiming the recent mass failures that saw more than 600 students get E was a result of poor coordination.
He said the situation was a fertile ground for Al Shabaab to recruit their new members, adding that the withdrawal of teachers will only worsen the situation.