TSC ignored assaulted teachers’ cries for help

Had the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in Marsabit County acted on a letter by a teacher in March this year over threats non-local teachers were facing, the recent incident where six teachers at Chalbi High School were attacked and seriously injured could not have happened.

The teacher, in the letter dated March 1, had asked TSC officials in the region to consider transferring them since they were being linked to last year’s cancellation of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results that affected 70 students.

The teacher further stated that the school principal, Mr Paul Boya, had made it clear that those behind the cancellation would pay the price for reporting the school to Kenya National examination Council (Knec).

“I have faced numerous accusations from the principal. In his address to students during morning assemblies, he has been claiming that the cancellation was instigated by ‘outsiders’ and some ‘insiders’ who were determined to bring down the school. He further claimed that the said people were propagating witchcraft in his school,” reads the letter.

EVIL DEEDS

It adds: “The principal went ahead to declare that all those involved must pay for their evil deeds irrespective of who they are in the school. After making these allegations for several weeks, the principal summoned me on February 19 in his office. He informed me that he had managed to penetrate Knec and got information that, I was part of the network that was behind cancellation of results at Chalbi School.”

True to his concerns, last week, students whose results were cancelled and are currently repeating Form Four attacked the teachers, seriously injuring them.

READ: Parents support students who beat up teachers

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said students who attack their teachers will be dealt with as criminals while the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said it was archiving and profiling every criminal act and consolidating charges that may be preferred to each and every student involved in any crime.

On examination irregularities, TSC interdicted supervisor Woto B. Barako for infamous conduct by colluding with the principal and invigilators to allocate extra time while four invigilators were warned. The principal has since been suspended in connection with the incident.

IRREGULARITIES

TSC has since moved 12 teachers from the school to other centres following the attack. However, the teacher denies any involvement in setting up the school to Knec over irregularities.

“The principal told me that anyone who was part of the scheme “atalipia”. The above claims left me with a lot of fear since, by claiming that I was part of the group, he meant that I was working for the downfall of the school and I would be one of those whose who would pay for it,” stated the teacher in the letter.

When TSC officers from Nairobi visited the school to seek information on how exams were conducted in the school, the discipline of the 2017 candidates class, their previous performance and their general conduct, the teacher said he was called by the officials and was interviewed.

“The learners knew that I was being interviewed and since then they started calling me names like Mchawi and Adui and whenever I could walk around they could ask me “Chuki ni ya nini bwana,” he said.

The teacher narrated that the hatred was worse among students from Form Two to Four.

70 REPEATERS

According to the report handed to Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to guide further action, the students who attacked the teacher were among 70 repeaters who had rejoined the school to sit this year’s KCSE following last year’s examination cancellations.

Yet the Chalbi incident is not an isolated case.

In July alone, at least eight teachers have been roughed up by protesting learners, and players in the education sector are now asking for quick action before the trend hits endemic levels.

The most recent case was reported in Kisii County, where a male teacher at Monianku Secondary School in South Mugirango constituency is nursing injuries he sustained on Monday when he tried to quell rioting students.

The County Education Board chairman, Dr Henry Onderi, said the teacher was injured on various parts of his body and that he was hospitalised at a local health facility.

He added that the students had no particular reason for protesting; that they only claimed to be unhappy over changes introduced by the new school principal.

SUSTAINED INJURIES

Exactly a week earlier, the deputy principal at Kirimara High School in Nyeri County had sustained injuries after being stoned by riotous students, and it is suspected that some learners bore a grudge against him.

Following these incidents and many others in the country, the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) is calling on the government to investigate cases of student assaulting their teachers.

Kessha chairman Kahi Indimuli, who is the principal of Machakos Boys, said most students turn against their teachers due to incitement from local leadership.

He challenged the leadership of Marsabit County to come clean on the incident where non-local teachers were attacked by students. Parents at the school had defended their children over the action, accusing the attacked teachers of poorly addressing them, which angered the students.

“No student can just wake up and clobber a teacher. We are asking the government to investigate further,” said Mr Indimuli. “The local leadership of the area must provide answers. The action by the students must be investigated.”

CHASE NON-LOCAL TEACHERS

Coming at a time when teachers’ unions are opposing the government’s policy on de-localisation, Mr Indimuli noted that the affected teachers are not new in the area.

“Why attack only non-local teachers? In no uncertain terms can students clobber or chase away non-local teachers,” he said. Mr Indimuli, however, noted that teachers were ready to teach in any region in the country.

Some players in the education sector, however, feel that it is time caning was reintroduced in schools — a position held by a section of Members of Parliament led by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa who plan to pass a bill to reintroduce caning.

Dr Onderi, the chairman of the Kisii county education board, supported calls to re-introduce caning, saying student discipline had deteriorated with learners thinking they were their teachers’ equals.

Mr John Wesonga, an official of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) in Kakamega County, faulted Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed for rejecting the proposal. Mr Wesonga said the CS needs to consult widely on the issue of indiscipline and reconsider her stand.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

He added that many tutors had been assaulted by their students and no action had been taken. He added that most teachers bear with the pain of such assault in silence.

“We cannot allow the indiscipline to continue ruining learning in our schools because of children’s rights.

We support the reintroduction of caning to instil discipline among learners,” said Mr Wesonga, a member of Knut’s national executive council representing Western region.

In Nyandarua and Laikipia, however, leaders in the education sector are opposed to the reintroduction of the cane.

Nyandarua county education executive committee member, Ms Faith Mbugua, said other disciplinary methods and approaches should be adopted.

MENTOR CHILDREN

“That is a retrogressive culture. What we need is an all-inclusive method to guide and mentor our children, starting from our homes to schools,” she said.

Bishop Josam Kariuki, the chairman of the Nyandarua County Council of Churches, said canning is inhuman, adding that it was in the past abused by the teachers who did it in excess, causing serious injuries or death to learners.

The Nyandarua county executive secretary of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Mr Julius Macharia, only parents should be allowed to cane their children.

Reporting by Elvis Ondieki, Ouma Wanzala, Ruth Mbula, Derick Luvega, Benson Amadala, Rushdie Oudia, Waikwa Maina and Joseph Wangui