Learning was paralyzed today in St Anne’s Mariaini Primary School in Gatundu North, Kiambu County after parents withdrew their children to protest the dismal performance in KCPE.
The angry parents lamented that the once top performer had gone so low as emerge position 70 out of 73 primary schools in Gatundu North Sub-county.
Their complaints also border on school mismanagement and alleged embezzlement of funds by the head teacher.
A day after pulling out all learners from the institution, the irked parents marched to the school demanding that the head teacher be transferred immediately.
They further demanded that the entire school management board be overhauled before they return their children to the institution.
At the centre of their fury is the alleged mistreatment of parents by the school boss, her highhandedness, hiked school and lunch fees, and mismanagement of the institution and reported misappropriation of funds raised by parents for development of the school.
The parents spent the whole day in the school until they were addressed by the Sub-county Director of Education Edith Kariuki.
Armed with vuvuzelas, thorns, twigs and placards with anti-head teacher phrases, the parents pointed fingers at the school head teacher for making the institution ungovernable due to her dictatorial leadership and inability to embrace school development ideas from parents.
Led by Fred Gichuki, Tabitha Gitau and Emmanuel Ndiwa, the parents claimed that the school head has been running the school’s income generating activities, such as the tree farm whose returns have never been accounted for, alone.
“We are tired of doing the same thing expecting different results. This head teacher has destroyed this school in totality to a point all of us wanting to transfer our children,” said Gichuki.
Having camped at the institution for almost the entire day, the parents were later addressed by Gatundu North Sub-county Director of Education Edith Kariuki, who promised to address the issues raised.
Among the temporal solutions offered is an instant stoppage of any school fees payment until all the matters raised are addressed, suspension of the teacher from the school until further notice, and investigations into the resources misappropriation claims.
“As of now, the head teacher will not report to the school until we solve the issues you have raised. If we decide to have the teacher back, we will convene a meeting with you so that you can agree with or oppose the decision. For now, you will not pay anything to the school until further notice,” said Kariuki.
Contacted for a rejoinder, the head teacher refuted all the allegations, saying that she is innocent.
By Kamau Njoroge
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