Someone is holding Starehe students hostage

Finally, it is clear why Starehe Boys Centre, the school that once nurtured the country’s crème de la crème, could be on its deathbed.

The spat between the Ministry of Education, the Teacher’s Service Commission on one hand and Starehe Centre on the other, does not augur well for hundreds of bright students in the country’s premier centre of excellence.

On the contrary, it smirks of both sides holding students hostage in a row that can be resolved if parties involved stopped talking at each other and talked to each other.

The bottom-line of the row that has been simmering for years revolves around the centre’s status.  As matters stand, Starehe is registered as a charitable institution for bright but needy students. As such, the school is more or less a private institution governed by its own constitution.

But over the years, the school has continued to enjoy government funding and government paid teachers.  As such, when the school rejected a government-paid head teacher and a Board of Management, the stage was set for confrontation.

It is sad that the Ministry of Education and the Teacher’s Service Commission have resorted to threats instead of seeking an amicable solution to the row. It is also unreasonable for the centre to insist that it is a donor-funded institution at a time when the erstwhile generous donor funding is dwindling.

All parties involved should decide what is best for the students. If changing the status of Starehe will restore the centre to its former glory, so be it. If on the other hand letting Starehe alone will bring out the best in the boys entrusted to its care, this should be accommodated by parties involved.