By Enock Kipturgut
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Baringo branch has called on parents to take charge of their children while at home to prevent unruly behaviors recently witnessed in schools.
Speaking to Education News in his office, the branch chairman David Kibet accused parents, care givers and guardians on the students’ behaviors that led to them burning down schools as a way of resenting their dissatisfaction with respective administrations.
The Ministry of Education recently released learners for half term break to tame rogue students who were on a burning spree that destabilized smooth learning in schools.
Early November, the Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha directed all school principals to release students to go home for a week as the ministry worked on ways of taming the menace.
Around the same time, students from Tenges Boys High School in Baringo Central walke in demonstrated to Education offices in Kabarnet town to demand the Ministry of Education to transfer their principal for hiking school fees without their parents consent.
Kibet asked parents to observe their children’s behavior while at the same time calls upon the school managements to consult widely with student leadership to prevent them from unnecessary demonstrations hence realizing smooth learning.
He said that most children are left to take charge of themselves hence finding freedom to visit their peers, therefore, ending up engaging in drug abuse and premarital sex leading to girls dropping out of school.
“The unruly behaviors among students in schools are traced back to homes as students are left without close supervision as others re left under the care of rogue house helps who mislead them at their tender age,” noted Kibet.
The chairman therefore urged school managements to develop clear modes of communication between students, staff and school managements for dialogue as it will lead to amicable talks in solving challenges they face in school hence smooth learning after good working relations between all departments is realized.
Kibet echoes the Ministry of Education for giving learners the much needed break, arguing that was the only way to release pressure in them.
He also called on parents, care givers and school managements to work together towards ending the unruly behaviors, he said so while regretting that the ministry has lost huge sums of money into infernos that could have been prevented in the early stages.
He said that due to the adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, parents cannot afford to pay fines imposed on them for the damages in school infernos.
