- Ugunja KESSHA Chairman Paul Jera has called on the government, parents and educators to craft a long‑term strategy against rising student unrest.
- Jera argued expanding day schools would boost parental involvement and reduce indiscipline, arson, and unrest linked to boarding school frustrations.
- He warned exam competition fuels violence, urging stakeholders to broaden definitions of success beyond university admissions.
By Frank Mugwe
The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Ugunja Chapter has urged education stakeholders to adopt a comprehensive approach to tackle the resurgence of student unrest in schools.
Speaking on behalf of the association on Sunday, July 19, Ugunja KESSHA Chairman Paul Jera called on the government, parents and other education stakeholders to invest in and expand day schools, arguing that the model promotes greater parental involvement and could play a key role in addressing student indiscipline.
“Day schools are the best strategy to curb school unrest, destruction of property and threats to the safety of learners and teachers,” said Jera.
Jera, who also serves as the principal of St Albert Simmerro Mixed Secondary School, said learning institutions are grappling with rising challenges stemming from peer influence, depression and other social pressures affecting learners.
He voiced concern over the growing incidence of school arson, noting that students were destroying costly infrastructure over what he described as minor grievances.
“We have witnessed several cases of chaos and unrest in schools, some involving arson over petty issues such as demands for girls to plait their hair or complaints about being denied the chance to watch football. There is no relationship between those grievances and burning a dormitory,” Jera said.
According to him, some students deliberately set dormitories on fire because they are unwilling to remain in boarding school, arguing that converting more boarding schools into day schools could help curb the problem.
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Jera also cited examination pressure as a contributing factor, noting that some students turn violent after school administrators deny requests related to examination malpractice.
“We thought scrapping school rankings would help curb such practices, but all of a sudden they have resurfaced,” said Jera.
Jera warned that the intense competition among schools for improved national examination results had placed undue pressure on both teachers and learners, with many institutions prioritising university admissions at the expense of technical and vocational education.
“We also need to redefine what success means. Parents struggle to secure places for their children in certain schools because they believe university admission is the only measure of achievement,” he said.
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