Nairobi — The teachers' lobby, Knut, has called for immediate resettlement of internal refugees.

Kenya National Union of Teachers' secretary-general Francis Ng'ang'a told the Press yesterday that thousands of displaced learners needed to be settled if they were to benefit from education. He noted that this was necessary to ensure that the students did not lose any more learning time.

Learners

"We acknowledge that the displaced learners have lost a lot of time and will not be able to perform as they would if they were studying normally," said Mr Ng'ang'a.

The Ministry of Education estimates that up to 100,000 learners were displaced in the post-election violence. The chaos saw more than 1,200 lives lost and more than 350,000 people driven from their homes. On Thursday, President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga started a three-day tour of camps inhabited by uprooted people in Rift Valley. The tour is expected to pave way for their resettlement.

Mr Ng'ang'a urged political leaders to ensure stability and economic development prevailed so as to aid success in the education sector.