Kenya’s Education Ministry Pushes Schools to Prevent Student Strikes Early
Kenyan school heads received a wake-up call as the government really stood up the pressure to stop the unrest being reported in schools all over the country from getting any worse.
The Education Ministry’s now cracking down hard on principals and education officials to get a move on and tackle problems within schools before they blow up into strikes, destruction, or shut-downs.
Education Ministry Holds Emergency Virtual Meeting
On Thursday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok was at the helm of a virtual meeting that brought together all the heads of secondary schools, and the county and regional education bods, sub-county officials and senior Education Ministry staff.
They got together to find solutions to all the unrest going on in schools – solutions that would help them get through the rest of the current academic term without too many more disruptions.
The Ministry folks admitted that the second term has been a bit of a problem area in the past – a time when schools are frequently plagued by tensions, student protests and disciplinary issues.
“We know there’ve been some pretty serious unrest in some of our schools, and it’s stopped learning in its tracks and even closed some places outright – we need to stay on the ball if we’re going to pick on the warning signs before it all kicks off” said Bitok.
Students Feeling Ignored? Officials Point to Communication Breakdown
During the discussion, education bods from different parts of the country pointed to a real problem – that communication is getting worse and worse between students and school principals.
Its not that students are hearing from their teachers and school officials – many learners feel like they’re not being listened to and are feeling pretty fed up with it.
The officials said poor communication, harsh discipline, exam pressure, and not involving students in decisions that affect their school lives are all major causes of the unrest.
They also pointed out that there are deeper issues affecting schools right now, including:
- Drug-and-substance use
- Peer pressure
- Social media
- Damp and dismal learning conditions
- Schools not having enough guidance and counselling
The Ministry wants all the schools now to be keeping a close eye on these warning signs instead of just shouting about it when it all starts to get out of hand.
Bitok Pushes for Student-Centred Leadership in Schools
The Principal Secretary is calling on school administrators to give some serious thought to how they deal with student complaints – and how they handle disciplinary matters.
“Schools really need to sort their comms out between students, teachers, parents and administrators, so we can all get on the same page, build some trust and get to the heart of things in a hurry,” he said.
Bitok is also encouraging principals to get learners more involved in the decision-making process – because he thinks that could really help students feel more responsible and more invested in their school.
Government Warns Against Harsh Punishment
The ministry is warning schools that some of the disciplinary methods they’re using at the moment are actually just making things worse.
“Discipline should be fair, supportive and about fixing problems – not about hammering people over the head with punishment,” he added.
Education officials seem to agree that the old punitive approach just isn’t going to cut it any more – especially when students are dealing with as many issues as they are today, mental health worries and all.
Schools Asked to Strengthen Counselling and Student Welfare
Another thing that came up in the meeting was how much stress students are under these days. The ministry told schools that they need to really beef up their guidance and counselling departments, so they can offer learners the support they need to cope.
School administrators were also told to step up their student welfare programs – including the anti-drug campaigns and the work they do on social media literacy and responsible use.
Government Calls for Collective Action
Bitok is calling on parents, teachers, school managers and everyone else involved in education to join forces and make sure schools are safe, disciplined and places where everyone feels welcome.
He reckons that if we can all work together, share our concerns and get on the same page, we might be able to prevent some of the unrest we’re seeing in schools.
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Kenya’s Education Ministry Pushes Schools to Prevent Student Strikes Early
