Owino Opondo
23 July 2008
Nairobi — The Government Tuesday imposed tough rules aimed at ending the ongoing riots and destruction of property in schools.
Education minister Sam Ongeri banned the use of mobile phones in schools by students and ordered the removal of music systems and DVDs from school buses, among other measures.
He also directed schools to stop buying luxury buses with TVs and powerful music systems.
The minister told the schools to hand over to police students who either organised or took part in the violence.
More than 300 schools have been rocked by violent strikes in the past one month. One student died in a dormitory fire started by Upper Hill High School students in Nairobi last weekend.
In Parliament, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende Tuesday directed the House committee on Education to investigate the school riots and complete its report in 21 days.
Giving a statement in the House, Prof Ongeri directed all school heads and governing boards to thoroughly screen students of affected institutions, "and hand over those found culpable to the police for appropriate action".
In the meantime, he added, those suspected to have taken part in strikes should be kept away from school until further notice.
Schools were directed to streamline and boost security to ensure students were under constant check to ward off destruction of property and lives. The minister asked school administrators to assess damages and forward the information to the Ministry of Education headquarters.
But even as the minister was announcing the new tough measures to curb the wave of strikes and destruction, students of Queen of Apostles Minor Seminary, a school which trains future priests for the Catholic Church in Nairobi's Ruaraka suburb, went on the rampage, burning a dormitory.
It was the first case of arson by seminarians since the wave of unrest started nearly a month ago and came shortly after Catholic bishops held a meeting at the same venue earlier in the morning, to take a common position on the strikes. The bishops are scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday.
Elsewhere, more than 500 marauding students of Migwani Secondary School in Kitui destroyed a newly built computer laboratory.
Other schools whose students have gone on strike in the past two days include Royal Star Academy in Ongata Rongai, Kamiti High School, Kayole Secondary School, Ngara Girls High School, Kahawa Secondary, all in Nairobi.
In Parliament, Prof Ongeri described the spate of strikes as a matter of national concern and told MPs that his ministry had developed manuals on safety and peace in education. They will form the basis of healing the students from the negative effects of the post-election violence that engulfed the country in January following the disputed presidential polls.
The two manuals will be part of the school curriculum, he said.
The House also heard that the Kenya Institute of Education was being revamped to strengthen the management of learning institutions.
Earlier, the minister attributed strikes in schools and educational institutions to: fear of mock examinations; weak institutional management; political and other influences; drugs and substance abuse; misuse of mobile phones; and child abuse.
The House listened with dismay as the minister listed some demands of students, including new models of buses with TVs, DVDs and powerful music systems, "and that they be allowed unrestricted visits by students from the opposite sex schools."
Fear of exams
Describing the findings as "preliminary", Prof Ongeri said the fear of mock exams caused most strikes in Coast, Eastern, Nairobi and Eastern provinces.
He blamed misuse of mobile phones for spreading rumours that mock results would determine results of the national examinations, scheduled for November.
The minister warned: "Mock examinations are neither standardised nor sent to the Kenya National Examinations Council, and they cannot be used in the final, national examinations. This cheap rumour has been used to spread damage in our schools."
Prof Ongeri spoke of a recent bizarre case in Machakos District, where a girls' school mistook loud jubilation from a neighbouring school for a distress call. The school then went on strike "in sympathy", destroying property.
He asked MPs, parents, educationists, administrators, and leaders to play their roles in taming the spate of violence.
"The youths have gone beyond the limits a culture of impunity is creeping into our society and we must nip it in the bud," Prof Ongeri said.
The minister said post-election violence caused negative effects on youths, especially in areas that received displaced learners, who suffered psychologically and were bound to react extremely at the most mundane of excuses.
Prof Ongeri said students in schools where basic needs such as water and food were inadequately supplied also vented their anger speedily.
Political and other influences were blamed for student unrest in Eastern, Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces. According to the minister, there were demands "to place our own" in management of schools.
Schools in urban areas and near highways were the most affected by drug and substance abuse.
Prof Ongeri said a number of shops and supermarkets also stocked alcohol, which they sold to the under age.
"Once they (students) get high, they are no longer in control of their instincts," the minister said.
However, a number of MPs were not satisfied with Prof Ongeri's statement and sought urgent government action to stop the violence.
Mr David Koech (Mosop, ODM) attributed the strikes to the delay by the ministry to disburse funds for free secondary education, and sought to be told the number of teachers handling guidance and counselling in schools.
Illicit drink dens
Central Imenti MP Gitobu Imanyara who sought the ministerial statement last week accused Prof Ongeri of failing to explain the role of his docket in the mess.
He spoke of the sale of exam papers as having made students lose hope in examinations, and accused chiefs and their assistants of allowing illicit liquor brew dens to flourish near schools.
North Imenti MP Silas Waruteere accused the ministry of discriminately supplying materials and funds to schools, while his Vihiga counterpart, Mr Yusuf Chanzu, asked why recommendations of several taskforces and commissions on education had not been implemented.
Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto (ODM) said students were not allowed ample time to play and were, therefore, stressed.
Responding, Prof Ongeri said funds and facilities were not selectively given to schools, while the ministry spent Sh360 million annually on sports and drama.
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