Head teachers call for security personnel, cameras
The chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Kahi Indimuli (centre) with Mwalimu National Sacco chairman Teresia Muthoni Mutegi (left), Mwalimu National Sacco director Roseliyne Ochieng (right) and other officials during the 43rd annual school heads conference in Mombasa . PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The meeting comes as police investigate the circumstances under which a Form Two student at Moi Girls School, Nairobi, was raped by an unknown man.
Recently, Maasai Girls' School in Narok was closed indefinitely after students protested an alleged case of sexual harassment by a male teacher.
Kessha national secretary Grace Wanjiru said sexual violence in schools was a major concern. She said male students were equally under threat from teachers.
Headteachers want the government to fund the installation of surveillance cameras in schools and employ former military officers to boost security and curb sexual violence.
The school managers said male students were also prone to abuse by female teachers, but they usually keep mum.
The 8,000 principals meeting at Wild Waters Centre in Mombasa for the 43rd Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) national conference which began yesterday, want the government to address sexual harassment in schools to protect all learners.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
“What is usually highlighted as gender violence in schools mainly concerns female students, while forgetting male students. Let’s look at students in general and not according to gender. We have cases where female teachers have been accused of sexually molesting male students,” Kessha chairman Indimuli Kahi said.
The meeting comes as police investigate the circumstances under which a Form Two student at Moi Girls Nairobi was raped by an unknown man.
Recently, Maasai Girls School in Narok was closed indefinitely after students protested an alleged case of sexual harassment by a male teacher. Some 700 girls at the school walked out in protest.
Kessha national secretary Grace Wanjiru said sexual violence in schools was a major concern. She said male students were equally under threat from teachers.
GENDER VIOLANCE
“Affected boys don’t usually report such cases. Let’s sensitise all learners and forge forward. The boys are being misused by older women. A boy is taken as a hero when he is "kept" by an older woman but a girl is dubbed vulnerable, mostly because of the risk of pregnancy,” Ms Wanjiru said.
She called for concerted efforts by parents, teachers and communities to protect learners from gender violence.
“Many of the times we want to blame the teachers. But we should start at home. Are these girls sensitised on how to take care of themselves? Do they raise concerns when they are endangered? Do they have skills to handle such cases? Do they adhere to their personal values?” Mr Wanjiru asked.
SECURITY PERSONNEL
Mr Kahi, who is also the Machakos Boys High School principal, said all public schools should employ qualified security personnel, including ex-military officers.
Low salaries offered by schools limit their ability to hire qualified security personnel, he said.
“We must pay them well so that we enhance security. Our hands are tied because there is the government subsidy on salaries and very little is paid by parents. Parents are no longer paying extra levies; yet CCTVs and other security gadgets are expensive. The government should fund these,” Mr Kahi said.
He added: "There are cases where female teachers have been interdicted for engaging in sexual acts with male students. Let's condemn all these acts".
INVESTIGATIONS
When a teacher or principal is suspected of having sexual relations with a student, Mr Indimuli said, thorough investigations should be conducted. He said security measures should also deal with radicalisation of learning in“Let’s put our heads together, re-read the various reports by education task forces, for instance the Kilemi Mweria report which determined the number of security personnel needed in schools, both boarding and day, according to the number of streams”, Mr Kahi said.
“Concerned principals or teachers should carry their cross. We should not condemn the entire teaching force and principals as people who have failed to protect girls and boys in schools. Most teachers and principals would never want to see their pupils hurt,” he said.
POLL STANDOFF
The delegates surged to the dais calling for stoppage of the polls until the issue is resolved. They had a standoff with election officials, accusing them of discriminating against Central region.
“We know there is a scheme to lock out a candidate from Central and replace him with someone from Rift Valley. We will not allow this discriminative act,” said Mr Kamau Kamatu, a principal from Thigio Boys High School.
The delegates hit out at chairman Indimuli, and delayed the elections for about 10 minutes.
