The Ministry of Education (MoE) has been challenged to crack the whip on some school managers to restore sanity in school games. William Ojonyo, an alumnus of Kakamega School and a key supporter of the school football team said the Ministry must act decisively on reports that some school games officials are involved in fraudulent transfers of sports students across schools.
Ojonyo who donated new uniforms to the football team Green Commandos football team on Saturday, June 15 said it was one thing to be a student and quite another to be a player, warning it was imprudent to treat learners as professional players as that would corrupt their focus.
Nine students, all football players quietly sneaked out of Kakamega School at the end of second term last year and reported to a rival school for the third term in utter disregard to the Ministry set student transfer guidelines.
Kakamega School Principal Dr Julius Mambili raised the matter with the County Education office but no action was taken. In the video below the Principal is handing over the boots to the team.
Last week, the Kakamega County Director of Education Hellen Nyang’au denied sanctioning any student transfers between the two schools.
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Ojonyo says schools should resist the temptation of glorifying football to the extent that it damages the academic focus on the learners as they begin to think they are professionals.
“This must stop. They are learners first and footballers second.”
Meanwhile Ojonyo has suggested that Musingu School should be spared a ban but architects of the poaching schemes punished.
“We are not raising concern out of fear of the rival school team. We want the school to participate. We want to meet them fair and square so we can beat them again as before.
“I believe we need to be parents, we’ve to look at the importance of managing our learners, as part and parcel of growth in both sports and academics because no one should look at them as objects of use for self aggrandisement. We hope the Ministry will crack the whip so that this does not become a norm.”
By Douglas Dindi
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