Let students reward their teachers with excellence, discipline and integrity, not material possessions

According to a report published by Education News on October 18, 2026, the students, who identify themselves as the Royal Zenith Girls, presented the couch in appreciation of the principal's leadership, mentorship, motherly care and support during their four years in secondary school. Beyond the touching narrative lies a question Kenya's education sector must confront: should students be encouraged to buy expensive gifts for the people entrusted with their education, discipline, welfare and academic assessment?

Appreciating a teacher or principal is not inherently wrong. Teachers invest time, knowledge and emotional energy in shaping learners, and some go beyond their duties to mentor vulnerable students and counsel troubled teenagers. A principal who provides a supportive learning environment deserves recognition. But there is a difference between expressing gratitude and building a culture in which costly gifts become the preferred expression of it, in an institution marked by unequal power relationships.

Why expensive gifts are a problem(Education News Kenya — https://educationnews.co.ke/news/let-students-reward-their-teachers-with-excellence-discipline-and-integrity-not-material-possessions)

They commercialise relationships. A couch is not a handwritten card. It is an asset with a financial value, and when a graduating class pools resources to buy one, it creates a precedent that later classes may feel compelled to match or surpass. What begins as a voluntary gesture can become an unofficial expectation, with appreciation measured by the value of the gift rather than the sincerity of the gratitude.

They pressure parents. Even when learners start the initiative, parents may eventually be asked to contribute. Some families can afford it, while others struggle with fees, uniforms, meals and transport. A child whose parent cannot contribute may feel embarrassed or excluded. Schools must not introduce hidden costs that deepen inequalities among learners.

They can create a perception of purchased favour. Principals and teachers influence discipline, welfare, opportunities and the assessment of learners. Valuable gifts can blur the line between professional responsibility and personal relationships. Even where the recipient has acted with complete integrity, public confidence depends on avoiding circumstances that reasonably create suspicion.

They can weaken the principle that duty is its own reward. Principals and teachers are employed, often with public resources, to manage schools, teach and mentor. These duties should be performed as professional obligations, not in expectation of personal rewards.

They can create favouritism and exclusion. A student who helps buy a gift may feel entitled to special recognition, while another who contributes nothing may feel their appreciation is inadequate. This does not mean favouritism has occurred in any particular school, but institutions should set clear boundaries before such expectations develop.

They distract from the values schools teach. Schools teach integrity, humility, accountability and responsible spending. A former student returning years later to say a teacher's advice changed their life is a more meaningful tribute. So is a class that sets up a scholarship fund for disadvantaged learners or donates books to a struggling school, turning gratitude into a public good.

They blur personal generosity and institutional accountability. Principals and teachers are professionals entrusted with children's welfare, and their authority must operate within ethical and administrative frameworks. Schools should adopt transparent guidelines on gifts from learners and parents, distinguishing modest, symbolic gestures from valuable personal presents. The aim is not to criminalise gratitude but to protect the integrity of educational relationships.

The St Joseph's Girls gift was presented as the Class of 2026 prepared for its KCSE examinations, and the report describes the students' ambition to achieve a mean score of 8.7. There is no evidence in the report that the gift was connected to examination outcomes or any improper conduct. Still, schools should be sensitive to perceptions around gifts given in high-stakes academic periods, since examination integrity depends on confidence that every candidate is treated fairly.

Better ways to say thank you

Students who wish to appreciate their teachers can write heartfelt letters, prepare a collective message, present a framed class photograph or hold a modest farewell ceremony. They can show gratitude through discipline, hard work and the values they have learnt. Alumni can return to mentor younger students, support school libraries or set up bursaries. These gestures communicate gratitude without creating an expensive precedent or pressuring families.

The Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, school boards and individual institutions should consider issuing clearer guidance on gift-giving. It should protect teachers from inappropriate expectations and protect students and parents from financial pressure. Principals and teachers should feel able to decline excessively valuable gifts and explain respectfully that a sincere message is enough. School leaders must model the ethical restraint that students are expected to learn.

Ultimately, the issue is not whether Dr Orwaru deserves appreciation. It is what kind of culture Kenyan schools should cultivate. The greatest evidence of successful leadership is not the furniture presented by a graduating class but the character of the learners who leave, the opportunities created for those who remain and the integrity of the educational environment that has been built.

Let students reward their teachers with excellence, discipline, integrity and lifelong gratitude. Expensive gifts may make headlines, but the lasting reward of education should be measured in transformed lives, not material possessions.