The last two months have seen many schools across the country literally go up in flames.
What started as a one-off incident has quickly turned into a national crisis. We sought the views of some affected students.
Justus Maina, a Form Four student at Aguthi Secondary School: The recent spate of unrest is because of two things - first, the extension of the school term and second, the mock exams, which many students don’t like and would prefer to skip, so the easiest way around it is to cause a problem that will provoke the administration to close the schools.
John Maina, a Form Three student at Gathaithi-ini Secondary School: The main cause of the unrest that has led to the burning of property is mock examinations. Students don’t want to sit the exams and are devising ways to have them deferred. I would also suggest that if the exams must continue being administered, then the Ministry of Education should think of renaming them from mock to something else that is more serious.
A student from a school in Meru that was closed following unrest: It is the fear of mocks. Perhaps the school management should rename the test. They just need to call the tests end-of-year examinations instead of mocks. Most of us panic because we see the exams as a gauge for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams at the end of the year.
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A student from a leading high school in the North Rift torched early this week: We cannot have a new curriculum that we are not conversant with. It would be fair if the examinations were reviewed and set using the current curriculum while we grow accustomed to the new system that is to be introduced.
A student from St Francis Boys Kimuron Secondary School in Keiyo North sub-county arrested after an arson attempt: The administration is part of the problem as we feel they are favouring some students while we want fairness. The Meal Card system should also be scrapped immediately. It is used unfairly.
A student of Kilibwoni Secondary School: We don’t know what to expect from the mock examinations and some of us were ill-prepared to handle them.
