Matiang’i, education stakeholders meet over school unrest

Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i is meeting members of the clergy and the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) on Thursday to discuss ways of curbing school unrest.

In a statement to media on Wednesday, Principal Secretary Belo Kipsang said the government was aware of the rise in cases of arson and was committed to address the situation.

“The country has witnessed an inexplicable wave of school unrests with valuable school infrastructure set on fire during the better part of Second Term in the Schools Calendar.”

“In view of the unrests and arson attacks in schools, the Cabinet Secretary has found it necessary to continue holding consultative meetings with stakeholders,” he said.

Kipsang noted that Matiang’i will continue to hold consultative meeting with members of the clergy and that of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to deliberate on the matter and find a solution to the problem.

“The government however, urges students, teachers and school administrators to be calm and avoid confrontation and destruction by deliberately addressing issues of concern to the school community.

“Most schools are already undertaking end term examination and mock examination as planned.

Kipsang further noted that security will be in place to ensure safety of students and school safety.

So far approximately 110 schools have been affected by the cases of strike and arson raising concerns among education stakeholders.

Kenya Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has called for the temporary closure of schools to give stakeholders and the government time to sort out the pressing issues that can be attributed to the unrest in schools.

Sossion has blamed Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i for the unrest in schools which he has termed as the students’ way of fighting back against the CS’s radical reforms in the education sector which include extension of the second term.

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga has also put the government to task over the increased cases of arson in secondary schools.

In a statement to media from Philadelphia, US where he is attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Odinga said that the surging cases of unrest in schools can be attributed to radical reforms effected by Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i early this year.

“The government announced stringent measures including change in term dates and abolition of traditions like visiting and prayers ahead of exams in third term ostensibly to curb exam cheating in our schools,” noted the CORD leader.

Matiang’i has however remained adamant that the schools will remain open saying parents will foot the cost of repairing destroyed school property.

Meanwhile, Nyahururu Boys High School was the latest school in the list of schools whose dormitories have been torched as cases of students unrest surge.

@benjaminwafula