Njoki: Use education to fight violence

By Jibril Adan

Education should be used to eradicate domestic violence and abuse, a conference of head teachers has been told.

Former Nominated MP Njoki Ndung’u told the more than 4,000 teachers attending the annual Kenya Secondary School Heads Association meeting in Mombasa an educated woman is less likely to be abused.

Ms Njoki said: "Educated women are less likely to be abused. Most of the women who are beaten by their men are the illiterate ones."

Njoki, who spoke on the role of education in eradicating societal problems, said the education system "was breeding criminals".

"Ninety per cent of convicts are below the age of 30 and that means they left school recently," she said, adding majority are men incarcerated for violent crimes.

She added: "Our society is lacking male role models. There are many absentee fathers forcing women to raise children single handedly."

Spearhead legislation

Njoki, who is a member of the committee of experts on constitutional reforms, said the right to education would be entrenched in the new Constitution.

She asked head teachers to explore other options of having proper legislation to govern the education sector rather than wait for the ministry to spearhead legislation.

"You can ask any legislator who understands this to present the rights bills you want in Parliament," she said.

 

 

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