Teachers injured as students protest exam cancellation in Mandera
Barwaqo Boys Day School students march towards Kamor Secondary School after learning that the KCSE exam results for some students in their school had been cancelled due to cheating. They blamed a teacher from Kamor who supervised the exam for the cancellation. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Students stormed Kamor Secondary School, accusing one of the teachers of being behind their school’s poor performance in the 2014 KCSE examination.
- The claimed the Kamor teacher had asked for bribes to help candidates use dubious means to pass the examination.
- Barwaqo Boys Day School Principal Mohamed Yusuf confirmed that the results of 84 of the 256 candidates were cancelled due to irregularities.
- Attempts to set ablaze the school were thwarted by a team of security officers drawn from the Kenya Police, Kenya Police Reservists and the General Service Unit.
A principal and his deputy in a Mandera school were injured after students from a neighbouring school attacked them on Wednesday morning.
Kamor Secondary School principal Hassan Ali and his deputy, Ahmed Abdo Ali, suffered minor injuries after students from Barwaqo Boys Day School stormed the school accusing one of the teachers at the school of being behind their school’s poor performance in the 2014 KCSE examination.
The teacher was a supervisor during the exams.
They claimed the Kamor teacher had asked for bribes to help candidates use dubious means to pass the examination.
“We have 86 Ys in the KSCE results because a teacher from Komor, who was a supervisor at our school, duped our brothers together with our principal that they will all pass if they cooperated,” said one of the students.
Barwaqo Boys Day School Principal Mohamed Yusuf confirmed that the results of 84 of the 256 candidates were cancelled due to irregularities.
When reached for comment about the allegations, Mr Yusuf referred Nation.co.ke to the county education offices.
However, Mandera County Education Director Ibrahim Barrow was said to be in Mombasa on official duty.
Attempts to set ablaze the school were thwarted by a team of security officers from the Kenya Police, the Kenya Police Reservists and the General Service Unit.
“A structure at Kamor School used for prayers was burnt down, but no classroom was damaged as the police arrived in time,” said an officer who was at the scene.
At the county education offices, an officer said the allegations could not be proved as KCSE results had not yet arrived in Mandera.
“We are told the results will leave Nairobi on Friday by bus, but as per now we can’t exactly prove the allegations by the students,” said the officer, who requested anonymity as he is not allowed to speak to the media.
