Kaplong Girls High School was abruptly closed yesterday after students turned rowdy and threatened to cause damage to property.
Confirming the incident, the Chief Principal, Clara Mitei, stated that the school management was forced to close the school indefinitely following the unrest.
The Principal disclosed that the leading cause was an allegation by the girls of alleged sexual harassment by a male teacher. Among some serious claims is the culprit impregnating a student.
We took an immediate decision, she added, to close the school after the girls turned chaotic and started breaking window panes and destroying other school properties.
Mitei called for patience from the parents and the student community, promising a thorough investigation to uncover the truth of the matter. She stated that the school was very strict on issues related to sex, as per the regulations from the Ministry of Education, and pointed out that the school was adhering to the due process of the law, treating the claims as allegations pending the outcome of investigations.
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The Board of Management, led by its Chair, Richard Ngetich, convened an emergency board meeting, where some critical decisions were made. He disclosed that they had initiated intensive investigations by several agencies to unearth the truth behind the claims made by the students.
He said the BOM requested that investigative agencies dig into the root causes of the issues that led to unrest at the girls’ school.
The BOM has put in place mechanisms for the quick return of the students, led by the candidate class, who are slated to return this Thursday, followed by the Form Threes on Friday. Meanwhile, the Form Twos have been arranged to return on Saturday.
The Board of Management also disclosed that they had invited a technical team to assess the extent of damage caused to the school’s property.
Kaplong Girls joins a list of Secondary schools which have been closed due to unrest over various issues. Two weeks ago, students from Litein Boys High School were send home after causing unrest do you claims of poorly cooked food.
Early this week Kipsigis Girls was closed after students run amok.
Benedicto Ngetich
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