Safety in Kenya schools key to reforms

Catholic Diocese of Nakuru (CDN) Bishop Maurice Muhatia (middle) greets a Catholic faithful at Nakuru Church.The Bishop called on the Government to establish a taskforce to look into school unrest reported in the country on July 20, 2016. (PHOTO: MERCY KAHENDA/ STANDARD)

The ongoing curriculum reforms should address the safety of students while they are in school. This is one of the issues 10,000 primary school heads meeting in Mombasa will be discussing.

Themed ‘Curriculum Reforms for Quality Education’, the meeting is scheduled for August 6 to 12.

“We want to know what must be included in the curriculum to address unrest and insecurity,” said Kenya Primary School Heads Association chairman Shem Ndolo. “This is a deliberate theme to capture the ongoing reforms. We shall have strong focus on the safety of children in school,” he added.

This follows assurances by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to a Senate committee that curriculum reforms would seek to address unrest in schools. Mr Matiang’i also said the role of head teachers in school management was central to ending riots.

The school heads said as part of the reforms, parents and the community should be involved.

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Chief Executive Julius Jwan is expected to give an update on the reforms during the meeting. Teachers will also give their proposals.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church has said external forces could be responsible for fuelling unrest in schools. Nakuru Catholic Bishop Maurice Muhatia said it was possible that students were not acting on their own.

He urged a team appointed by the Government to investigate the matter to be thorough and bring the culprits to book.

“The team should work with other skakeholders to solve this problem that is threatening our education sector,” said Muhatia, who chairs the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission for Education.