Following the increased cases of school facilities being burnt or damaged by students, the government has taken the initiative to try to prevent further escalation.
The government had previously announced that any students found guilty of arson could have their Certificate of Good Conduct tainted. This means that the records of crimes they have engaged in while in schools will eventually prevent them from securing employment in firms both private and government that require the Certificate of Good Conduct.
In addition to this, the Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha has now warned students that if any one of them is engaged in burning or damaging any school facility, they will be barred from joining any public school.
CS Magoha made the announcement yesterday as he was touring schools in Machakos County. The CS said that the directive will go a long way in reducing cases of indiscipline in schools.
Even though cases of burning and damaging school facilities are still persisting, CS Magoha insisted that it has not gotten to the point where the government has even contemplated the closing of all schools.
CS Magoha termed the burning of school facilities and vandalism as “primitive” behaviour.
“It is juvenile and mundane to torch a building. It is stupid. It is primitive and it has to stop. We will not close any schools,” said CS Magoha.
The CS’s statement comes amid claims that his Ministry has been quiet and inactive while students have increasingly burned and destroyed facilities in many schools across the country. For instance, Mwaka Girls High School, Nyamira Boys High School and Maranda High School are among the most recent cases of rising indiscipline in many secondary schools. At the moment of writing this article, more than 30 schools have experienced varied cases of indiscipline.
Magoha then refuted claims that the increased cases of students’ unrest are because of stress related to the novel coronavirus, or simply put, COVID-19.