100 girls sent home over strike

At least 100 girls have been suspended from school after plotting a protest against their new principal.

The Ramisi Secondary School students are said to have marched out of their classes moments after a short handing over ceremony was concluded between the new principal and his predecessor.

In a telephone interview with Saturday Nation, the Msambweni District Education officer, Mrs Bridget Wambua, termed the incident as indiscipline of the highest order and disrespect to Education ministry’s policy changes.

“The students walked out of the school and came to my offices over the changes at the school but that is none of their business; the new principal is also qualified to run the school,” she said.

The students were suspended and asked to come back with their parents. ‘‘We shall not tolerate indiscipline amongst our children,” said Mrs Wambua.

All of the 102 suspended students were female as their male colleagues at the mixed school had not arrived at the time of the incident.

According to the DEO, the students also complained over poor sanitation and expressed fear of insecurity due to lack of a perimeter fence.

Education officials also suspect the students might have been incited by some teachers opposed to the removal of Mr Shufa Ali, the former principal demoted due to the school’s dismal performance.

Other schools where principals were demoted include Mazeras Memorial Girls, Likoni, Mwavumbo, Mwaghogho and Allan Mjomba secondary schools situated in Kinango, Likoni and Taita districts.

Thirty eight secondary schools in Coast Province were affected by a countrywide shake-up that saw 1,500 principals transferred.

Two weeks ago, the Coast director of Education, Mr Tom Majani, was forced to set a deadline for the transferred principals to report to their new schools after some refused to go.