In the recent past there has been an outcry to phase out Boarding schools as one way of doing away with cases of unrest and fire incidents .
According to John Muchiri who is also the MP Manyatta Constituency, the ravaging unrest in schools is something that needs to be looked at by all angles and how the problem will be addressed amicably.
Speaking while donating a bus at lveche DEB Primary school in his constituency, he noted that day schools were not witnessing arson in schools, and they should be embraced all through .
“We need a national conversation on our boarding schools, there is a need to ask ourselves if truly boarding schools are important for us.”Said Muchiri.
“Why are we disadvantaging our day schools, and they are doing well, every county should have at least schools which our students can go there to learn and go home daily,” Muchiri said.
According to the Muchiri, there were underlying factors influencing arson attacks in schools that need deep focus.
Muchiri took blamed schools administrations for not creating a good channel that will facilitate students’ to air their grievances well to prevent the destruction of property in schools.
“Among the factors influencing this bad behaviour by students in schools is a failure by teachers who have not been trained on how to manage students at school and also poor parenting,” Muchiri noted.
The legislator maintained that abolishing of boarding schools will ensure parents have enough time with their children to give them moral guidance as teachers guide them academically.
Call to abolish boarding schools have also been raised by the Kenya National Union of Post Primary Education Teachers,(KUPPET )and the Kenya National Union of Teachers(KNUT) among other stake holders.
Last year, the cabinet secretary for education, George Magoha hinted at phased closure of boarding schools. Existence of boarding schools and long term durations have been given as the reasons for increased unrest in schools.
A section of teachers however feel that poor teacher remuneration and empowerment is the main course of these unrests. Revealing that even day schools, though not experiencing arson cases, have even worse discipline cases compared to boarding schools, the teachers blame the government for thinking that arson is the only indiscipline case in schools.