By Arnold Ageta
Governor Amos Nyaribo has challenged parents to work with the clergy and teachers to end school unrest which has been witnessed in the country recently.
Speaking at a burial in Magwagwa Ward, the governor opined that strong collaboration will help nurture the students into responsible citizens.
“You have heard about recent disruptions in schools. We ask parents and the church to guide our children. They are the leaders of tomorrow. Let us give them direction,” he said.
Governor Nyaribo’s remarks come after countrywide school unrest was witnessed, where some students lost their lives while others are still hospitalized following the Utumishi Academy fire incident.
As many parents thought that the Ministry of Education was going to push for early half-term breaks, they were dealt a rude shock when the government ruled out the closure of schools.
According to Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok on Thursday said that learning in the majority of institutions has not been interrupted and there is no need to close the schools.
The most recent unrest incident was witnessed at Alliance High School, causing a heated debate over safety in boarding schools as many other incidents of unrest continue to be reported across the country.
Professor Bitok dismissed calls for schools to break early because, according to him, only a few incidents have been reported and they are being addressed.
“Records indicate that less than one per cent of schools have been marred by unrest. The rest are carrying on with their normal learning,” Bitok said.
He said that the school calendar will go on as planned without any interruption until June 24, when schools will officially break for half-term.
“We have encouraged teachers and school administrators to engage learners through dialogue to curb the unrest,” he said.
He asked them not to force students to sit for exams and instead postpone them, as the ministry intensifies audits, dialogue, and consultations to curb unrest and ensure learning is normalized.
Governor Nyaribo on his part opined that collaboration between the parents, school administrators, and learners will solve emerging issues.
“We need to work together as a team to ensure that learning continues uninterrupted in our schools,” he concluded.
Nyamira’s Masosa Secondary School was also affected after one of the dormitories was razed by fire, and the cause of the fire has not yet been identified.
