Education stakeholders in Lugari Sub County have condemned ongoing arson activities which have paralyzed learning activities in many public boarding secondary schools countrywide.
The stakeholders, drawn from various sectors, made the observation at Lumakanda Teachers Advisory Centre (TAC) Hall during a one day stakeholder’s forum organized by the Ministry of Education.
Lugari Chief Education Officer (CEO), Mr. Joshua Kosilei briefed the press that the participants of the forum pointed out several issues believed to be triggers of the current wave of schools unrest.
“Peer pressure, poor relations between teachers and students, consumption of illicit drugs, lack of proper conflict resolution mechanisms within learning institutions are among issues considered to cause current unrest in public schools,” highlighted Kosilei, who represented the area Sub County Education Officer, Mr. Francis Shikanda.
According to Kosilei, the stakeholders who included officers from national and county governments and representatives from political, religious and business organizations unanimously absolved Education Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred Matiang’i from blame over the unrest that is getting out of hand.
The forum supported the CS, urging him to step up his effort in cleaning rot from the Kenyan National Examination Council (KNEC), which has been accused of condoning examination cheating.
“For a long time lazy students have been chief beneficiaries of examination cheating,” said one of the participants who urged education CS not to waver on his decision to seal all examination leakage and cheating loopholes.
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The official said that the participants strongly disagreed with a section of Kenyans for connecting the current restructuring of the national examination body with the ongoing senseless torching of dormitories in our public boarding secondary schools.
The forum urged various players in the education sector to stop what it described as unnecessary blame games and instead focus on establishing the real triggers of schools unrest in the country.
With no such incidents in Lugari Sub County and Kakamega County at large, participants in the meeting hailed area principals, teachers and students and urged them to continue maintaining high levels of discipline as witnessed so far.