By Rawlings Otieno
Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo has sent a tough warning to principals of all schools to ban weekend classes.
The Minister said that the National Policy on tuition during Holiday and weekend remains fully in place and warned the private schools that should they flout the directive, they will be de-registered.
“As far as the National Policy is concerned, there is no tuition during holidays and weekends. I will not hesitate to de-register any private school forcing children to attend classes on weekends. Children must be allowed to rest,” said the tough talking Mutula.
He said that children had a right to rest from classes on weekends and during holidays adding that availability of education to all was a human right.
Speaking during the launch of children’s book published by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) at a Nairobi hotel on Monday, Mutula said that for a cohesive society, children must be taught equality and non-discrimination tendencies.
The Minister at the same time criticized the selection of the prefects in schools and called upon school heads to engage all the students and pupils in a democratic process where they are able to select their own leaders.
“All schools are encouraged to conduct prefects elections by fully involving students in the use of the guided democracy,” added Mutula.
Mutula emphasized that children and young people participation in democracy, leadership and governance was a right and not an option.
The Minister said that Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) would develop a curriculum to train principals the bill of rights enshrined in the constitution.
He said that equality and non-discrimination was articulated in Article 27 (4 and 5) of the Constitution, which prohibits the state or any other person from discriminating a person directly or indirectly on any ground including race, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, marital status, health status and social origin.
The article also prohibits discrimination based on religion, conscience, belief, culture, dress, language or birth.
