By Amoto Ndiewo
Education stakeholders countrywide are happy that the first two weeks of the ten week third term have lapsed without any incidents. Last year wasn’t rosy as students from various institutions went on a hostel burning spree.
Kenya National Union of Teachers Garissa branch executive secretary Abdirizak Hussein expressed hope that this third term would be rosy.
He wondered why these students burn schools yet they don’t burn their homes.
He expressed regret that these students burn schools so that they stay at home yet their fellows in other schools go on with their studies.
‘Regrettably, these students won’t do any special exams,’ he said.
Hussein added that caretakers, guardians and teachers must take into account that times and the society have changed and that the current students are exposed to literature and food that’s different from what they were exposed to in the past.
He admitted that drugs might be a trigger to the torching of schools but added that it would be naïve to assume that the students don’t take the drugs while at home.
‘The issue of arson in schools is bigger than students abusing drugs,’ he said.
He added that all education stakeholders should look for ways of ensuring that the performance in national exams improves.
Hussein said it was unfortunate that last year, schools were reopened but creative activities prohibited.
‘Students want to be recognized so they should be given room to unwind after concentrating in class,’ said Hussein.
He added that since the North Eastern region has few teachers, care should be taken in balancing all the classes.
He agreed with Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha’s statement that students who want to go home should do so without causing harm to school property and other students.
He called on teachers to involve students in school policies to ensure that students do not feel left out and involve in indiscipline cases.
Hussein also called for guidance and counselling services amongst the student saying the move would go a long way in checking imbalances in the school calendar.
