By Kipilat Kapusia
Chepkorniswo High School learners in West Pokot County went on strike on Monday to protest Principal John Cheruo’s management of the school.
The students stormed out of the school at midnight and walked 25 kilometers to the Kapenguria County headquarters where they demanded an audience with the Governor and Ministry of Education.
One of the students told the press that they wanted their Principal to be transferred for failing to address their grievances and his tendency to retrench teachers for no apparent reason among other concerns.
The students also complained of cases where teachers did not attend lessons and that the school lacked learning materials for them.
“In the language department, we only have one English teacher for the whole school. We want the Ministry of Education to hear our plea and provide us with more teachers. We also want our principal to be transferred to another school,” one of the students said.
They lamented that their parents had paid the remedial fee but no remedial classes had been taught since the term started.
The students accepted to go back to school after they were assured that their grievances would be addressed.
West Pokot County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education and Technical training Rebecca Kide said that the county, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Ministry of Education will make further investigations over the grievances raised and find an amicable solution.
“We will investigate the cause of the problem and look for a solution because students are supposed to be in school with a healthy learning environment,” Ms Kide said.
The CECM said that they were not happy with the protest yet some of them, especially from West Pokot County, had received a bursary of Ksh 15,000 as tuition fees.
She said they were ready to hear any other grievances the students might raise about their school but urged them to report back to school.
Ms Kide said they have noted poor academic performance in the school and a decrease in student population and said that they will investigate the reason behind it and look for a solution.
She advised politicians to refrain from negative criticism regarding schools saying it can lead to the downfall of learning institutions in the area.
Each student was given a loaf of bread and a soda for breakfast before they were transported back to school by bus.
West Pokot County Education Director Dr Francis Shikanda said they had launched investigations on the situation and students had gone back to school.
