Halt spread of schools’ unrest before it gets out of hand

Armed police patrol within the precincts of Kisumu Girls administration block on July 1, 2018 after the school was closed indefinitely following night long unrest by students. [Denish Ochieng/Standard]

When in 2016 more than 100 schools countrywide were razed by fire, there was a ready explanation for it. The implementation of new, stringent policies by then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, with a view to restore the dignity of the Kenyan education system that had gone to the dogs was not taken favourably in some quarters.

At the time, cartels had hijacked operations at the Kenya National Examinations Council, making a mockery of national examinations that came up for sale well in advance of national examination dates.

A worrying trend reminiscent of the 2016 arson attacks is taking shape, and must be nipped in the bud. In the last few weeks, a number of schools have been closed indefinitely following student unrest for various reasons. This week, Ng'iya Girls High School in Siaya County was closed indefinitely after students went on the rampage demanding the transfer of one of their teachers.

This came after Kisumu Girls High School in Kisumu County was closed indefinitely following students’ boycott of classes.

At Kisumu Girls, school property was damaged in the unrest. Similarly, Chalbi Boys High School in Maikona, Marsabit County was recently closed following a student’s attack on six non local teachers.

In early June, Maasai Girls high school in Narok County was closed after students boycotted classes over allegations of sexual harassment, a claim similar to open made by students of Moi Girls High school Nairobi. In June, Msambweni Secondary School in Kwale County was closed for two weeks after students attempted to burn a dormitory.

These might be isolated, unrelated incidents, but authorities would do well to err on the side of caution by acting on the premise there are interested parties out to cause disharmony in schools for purely selfish reasons, as the cartels attempted to do in 2016.

As suddenly as they started, the school fires in 2016 stopped when Dr Matiang’i, working closely with KNEC chairman George Magoha, held their ground in the noble mission to reform the education sector.

Getting to the root cause of the disruptive unrest should be prioritised, for while previously a charged political environment between the government and the Opposition, the suspicion of cartels getting even and a pernicious curriculum were to blame, the situation today is different.