Schools discipline procedure wanting says report

­Last year’s arson in schools left 239 dormitories burnt by students

An audit report has faulted schools for failing to establish clear disciplinary measures to contain student unrest.

Most secondary schools, the report says, have too many schools rules, some of which lack clarity on the mode of discipline.

And some of the punishments involved transfers of the culprits, which the report says only moved the problem to another school.

The details are contained in a special investigations report commissioned by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

The Claire Omolo Report (2016) finds that some public secondary schools have up to 23 rules and 33 sub-rules.

One public secondary school, for instance, had five rules and 37 sub-rules.

Too many

“It was noted that the rules were too many and at times stringent, vague and prepared without the participation of students and other stakeholders,” reads the report.

In some cases, the punishment for breaking the rules was not deterrent enough because it burdened the parent and not the student, says the report.

“In several schools, sneaking out of school was punished through parents buying rolls of barbed wire,” the report finds.

In its recommendations, the report says the Ministry of Education should develop guidelines on the formulation of school rules and regulations.

“The rules should be concise, clear and formulated through a participatory process,” says the report.

The audit team visited 97 schools in 38 counties. It established that in most cases, students were the main culprits in burning incidents and destruction of property but in a few cases, teachers, support staff and outsiders were involved.

Dormitories were the main target, although there were cases of classrooms, administration blocks, teachers’ houses, stores and dining halls being torched

The role of the boards of management in discipline has also been brought to question, as they are not spelt out in the rules and regulations.

“Generally, the disciplinary process did not conform to the Basic Education Act provisions,” says the report.

The investigations team found that some schools were still administering corporal punishment contrary to provisions of the Basic Education Act and the Children’s Act.

Discipline records

“In some cases, discipline records showed caning as the punishment that had been administered on those who had broken school rules. This was one of the factors listed as a cause of unrest in some schools,” reads the report.

The report also finds that supervision of students was lacking in some cases.

“Students reported that they were often left under the care of watchmen and other support staff. In one mixed school, the police and education officers found used condoms littered in the compound during their visit,” reads the report.

Overall, the report finds that in some schools, there was little supervision of students, especially at night and during the weekends.

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