Owner says students were unruly and were beating teachers

The management of a private school has been accused of closing down the institution without notifying parents and Ministry of Education, leaving learners stranded.

St Georges Greenland Senior Boys' School in Bahati, Nakuru, with an enrolment of 60 students, was closed at a time students were reporting for first term.

Stranded learners told The Standard that they were frustrated by the move that might affect their academic performance.

Joseph Keegan, a Form Four student, said he had not secured a place in another school.

Keegan, from Samburu sub-county, said he reported at the school on January 4 but was turned away by the management on grounds that they were not admitting students.

Student stranded

“I am now stranded at home because I am yet to secure a place in any other school,” said the learner.

The student regretted that failure to secure a school place on time might affect his performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam at the end of the year.

Judith Musimbi, a parent, said the school management did not notify parents and learners about its closure.

Ms Musimbi said she was surprised to learn about its closure on January 5 after taking her son to school for the first term.

Prior to receiving the information, the mother said she deposited Sh15,000 fees to the school bank account, money she was promised would be refunded.

The school management further wrote a letter claiming that the student had been transferred at will.

“The above named student was a bona fide student in this school. He has transferred at his own will. He has cleared with the school. Any assistance given to him will be highly appreciated,” reads a section of letter handed to the parent.

The letter was, however, not signed, and when the parent questioned this, the management wrote another letter.

The signed letter reads “The above was a bona fide student in this school. He has cleared from the school. Any assistance given to him will be highly appreciated.”

Musimbi has visited several schools seeking enrolment for her son without success.

Because of frustrations in finding a school for her son, she notified the police about the school's closure. She reported the incident at Central Police Station Occurrence Book Number 15/6/1/2018.

She further informed Ministry of Education but was asked to find other parents and lodge a complaint.

Another student, Leon Njama, is also at home, where he is conducting revision on his own after failing to secure a vacancy in another school.

“I am revising at home because my parents have not found me a school after closure of St George's,” said the learner.

School response

When contacted for comment, the school proprietor George Gichimu said the institution was his property and he had a right to develop it according to his wish.

“This is my property and I can do with it whatever I want,” said Gachimu when asked if he had notified the ministry about its closure.

The proprietor added that his decision was motivated by high rate of indiscipline among boys, and that he could no longer contain them.

Gichimu maintained that the boys could not be managed, and he would only enrol girls.

“Boys at the school have been indisciplined, we cannot handle them. They go as far as beating up teachers. We have been very patient with them but they cannot change,” he said.

Whereas some parents are stranded regarding where to enrol their children, Gichimu said he had refunded them their money and assisted some to enrol in various schools.