A student hits the school principal with a stone

That a school principal from a county school in Narok, had to undergo surgery because of internal bleeding as a result of a student hitting him with a stone when he was trying to calm them as they stormed out of school is the sad reality of where our nation is heading to.

This is just one in a myriad of other similar incidences where teachers have been exposed to ridicule and harassment by the same students they are supposed to be taking care of. Written and verbal abuses targeting the teacher are the norm in our schools. Sexual harassment of teachers by the same students is common and whenever the same students go on the rampage, teachers are physically assaulted. And in all these cases the teacher is always blamed while the students’ behavior is almost justified.

The education officers who visit such schools are known all over to go straight to the learner to hear their grievances. Whatever these rowdy youths tell them is taken as the gospel truth and in almost all instances the students blame the teacher for everything. A case in point here is a school in Bomet County that has had three fire incidences in one month and no teacher has been asked for any information concerning the same.

The now famous Matiangi impromptu visits have not done any better. The reporters following the CS all over our schools have found it a weekly hobby to air the cases of teachers being fired left, right and center because they happen to be absent when the CS sneaks into their schools.

Stuttering principals who are asked to quickly explain why pit latrines in their schools smell the way they smell and such other ‘inconsequential’ details before being asked to report to Jogoo House to show cause why he should not be punished.

Teachers are systematically getting frustrated and they are quickly abandoning their duty of nurturing the nation’s future because no one cares about their welfare.