Follow ministry rules or lose State teachers and funds, TSC warns restless Starehe

The spat over a First Former’s admission to Starehe Boys Centre has unearthed years of quiet fights between the Ministry of Education and the school. 

Details have emerged of outright defiance of ministry directives by the centre and its push to act independently despite receiving government funding and teachers paid by the State.

Sunday Standard has established that the school overruled the establishment of a board of management (BoM), rejected a principal posted to the institution and insists on appointing its own invigilators and supervisors during administration of national examinations.

Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) regulations demand that the school principal is the automatic centre manager because of their links to government. But Starehe insisted that its director, who is not a government official, becomes a centre manager.

Details are now emerging that the centre risks being isolated by the Ministry of Education if defies another directive and fails to admit the student who scored 417 marks because of standoff between the institution and the parent.

Government funding

The parent was allegedly involved in an altercation with the school’s administration. 

Starehe Boys Centre was established in 1959 as a charitable institution under Kenya Children and Young Persons Act. It incorporates a national high school and a technical training institute offering accountancy and computer studies. The centre however continues to get government funding through capitation and has teachers paid by the State.

Sources hinted that the ministry is now working to transfer the rejected student to another school, a matter that may further complicate the relationship between the ministry and the centre. 

A letter signed by the Acting Centre Director Josephat Mwaura explains why the student would not be admitted despite issuing an assurance to Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed that they would take him in.

“I wish to confirm that your son will not be admitted to Starehe Boys’ Centre and School on account of your intransigent conduct,” reads the letter dated January 18, 2019. The letter was drafted just a day after the ministry intervened in the matter and the centre gave an assurance to admit the student.

A brief prepared for Amina by John Ololtuaa, Regional Coordinator of Education, shows that the school asked the parent to apologise for his conduct as a pre-condition for admission but backtracked later.

“The school’s administration, having confirmed that the form had been filled in and that the student was dully selected to join the school accepted to admit the student,” reads the brief to Amina.

It emerged yesterday that the school may not receive any form of funding from the government following the admission impasse that portrayed the institution as defiant of ministry directives.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has already served notice to the centre over its impending withdrawal of teachers on government payroll. TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia, making reference to three correspondences – seemingly ignored by the school – says the teachers will be withdrawn. “In the circumstances, the commission hereby gives notice of its intention to withdraw all the teachers in government employment from Starehe Boys’ Centre with effect from January 1, 2019 without further reference,” Mrs Macharia said.

Down the middle

TSC cites failure by the centre to accept the appointed BoM members and regularisation of the same in line with the Basic Education Act. The teachers’ employer argues that this has made it difficult for the principal to discharge discipline as stipulated in his appointment letter. Details from the centre reveal that the BoM inauguration in July 2018 aborted after the school demanded that the process be done in line with its constitution and not based on guidelines of the Basic Education Act. 

The centre also rejected the regulation that the principal of the school acts as the secretary to the board and insisted that the director assumes that responsibility. A ministry report reveals that the management committee, without any involvement of the principal, makes major decisions at the centre. The revelations sucked in a teachers’ union, which petitioned Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to act, citing various reasons that the union said were not in line with ministry policy.

Unruly management style

“These have subsequently raised critical concerns that demands clarity as whether the school is private or public,” Moses Owiti, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) executive secretary Nairobi branch said.

Finer details reveal that the school has over the years adopted an unruly management style with questions now being raised whether it is a public or private institution. The revelations have also divided the powerful school’s alumni right down the middle, with some claiming that the institution must be reformed while others maintain a hardline stance.

Education stakeholders now say the perceived unruliness has led to declining academic performance in an institution that was once the dream of many students. Over the years, Starehe posted good results – always emerging top nationally – but is now a pale shadow of its former self, shining a spotlight on the institution’s management.

In last year’s KCSE examinations, for instance, the school registered 256 candidates and was ranked at position 21 nationally, with a performance index of 62.66. Analysis of performance of the traditional national schools reveals that Starehe Boys Centre has continued to perform poorly even coming behind many new schools such as Starehe Girls and Mary Hill Girls.