The issue of corporal punishment which was banned in Kenya is taking a different turn as education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i now insist on its return as a punishment in schools.
Increasing indiscipline in schools is attributed to soft approach within the education cycles, recent occurrences of school fires to confrontational behavior of Kenyan learners has taken on a totally unexpected trends.
This push to have corporal reintroduced beckons at a time dozens of learners are in police custody in different parts of the country in connection to the torching property worth millions of shillings in their respective schools.
Over the last few weeks, cases of school fires have been on a sharp rise, with the worrying trend now leading Cabinet secretaries George Magoha and Fred Matiang’i to call for re-introduction of radical disciplinary measures including caning of students
“We need to introduce caning back in schools like yesterday…do not expect our teachers to do the impossible,” said Prof. Magoha.
“We must discipline our children and we must insist on some things we cannot create a society of animals sasa kazi yetu ni kujenga mashule kazi yao iwe kuchoma its tough love our children must understand one thing that it takes sacrifice from parents to get these things,” said Dr. Matiang’i.
The CSs say the ban on corporal punishment denied teachers a proven method of dealing with indiscipline in schools
“I am not a subscriber of those things of human rights of the child, kwa sababu Bibilia inasema spare the rod and spoil the child mimi nataka tuanze kuzungumza how we will discipline our children,” added Matiang’i.
Key among the proposals made by CS Magoha to address the widespread unrest in schools is doing away with boarding schools and allowing learners to study as day-scholars
“Which human rights are those when you want to burn your colleagues in the halls, and that will lead to the talks of whether we still need boarding schools in the country,” said Magoha.
Maranda High School is the latest to be closed again after a dormitory complex was torched down Sunday. The incident comes barely a week after Form Four students were sent home indefinitely due to allegations that they threatened to burn down the institution
Meanwhile, a court in Kimilili has issued 11 learners from Chesamisi high school bail terms of a million shillings with charges of burning school property worth Ksh.7.5 million.
The students will remain in police custody until 20th of December when their ages are determined. 18 other learners from Makindu high school are also under policy custody in connection with burning a school dormitory.