Education CS: Funeral services cost schools learning hours

Education CS Fred Matiang'i addresses a congregation at Gesabakwa SDA Church  PHOTO: STANLEY ONGWAE/STANDARD.

The Education ministry will ban funeral services from being held in schools as they eat into learning hours.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has said his practice has affected educational performance in many schools.

He particularly singled out the Gusii community where the use of school compounds as funeral venues is very common.

Dr Matiang'i was speaking at Gesabakwa SDA Church, where he joined the faithful for a fundraiser for the church's development.

Matiang'i said funerals were eating into normal working hours in schools especially in the region where most schools were operational for only three days because of such ceremonies.

"It is very strange that most schools now run for only three days because Thursdays and Fridays are marked as funeral days," said the CS.

At least two school days were lost in at least a quarter of the region's schools as teachers, parents and sponsors prepared and conducted funerals in the learning centres, he said.

"We need to know what it means to lose just an hour of school time, leave alone two full days. This is a very worrying trend which the ministry is concerned about because it is one of the chief contributors to poor performance in the affected regions and most specifically here in Kisii and Nyamira counties," said Matiang'i.

The CS cited conflicts between school heads, communities and sponsors as other major impediments to good performance.