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A parent yesterday sued a Nairobi school for suspending his daughter for allegedly daydreaming in class.
In his case filed before High Court Judge Pauline Nyamweya, the parent claimed his daughter was kicked out of Moi Girls School Nairobi after she dozed off in class, entering into the dream world, in which her classmates started shouting.
The Form Two student is said to have slept during class hours- 10.30am and 11.30am on January 21, while teachers were attending a meeting.
The shouts attracted the school’s secretary, who asked the girl to go to the matron’s office for further action.
“I met the principal’s secretary at the school in company of a counsellor, who told me that the petitioner was sleeping in class,” narrated the parent.
He told the court he was informed by the school’s secretary to take the minor to a counsellor at Kenyatta National Hospital.
While faulting the school, the parent said the secretary had no powers to suspend his daughter.
“The secretary purported to suspend my daughter from the school contrary to the law and the public school disciplinary procedure. The action was illegal, null and void, as no disciplinary hearing regarding the minor was conducted,” he argued.
Justice Nyamweya heard that the girl, as per the instructions, went for three counselling sessions at Kenyatta National Hospital Youth Center, after which she returned to school.
READ ALSO: How we negligently left our children to die in the Moi Girls High School fire
The parent said that upon his daughter’s return, she was given a blank paper by the deputy head teacher to write that she would not sleep in class again.
The girl was allowed to get back to class.
According to him, on February 8, he was called by the secretary and asked to see the school’s principal after attending the parent’s visiting day.
Handwritten notes
This time, the principal allegedly produced handwritten notes, which his daughter denied authoring. In his papers, he did not disclose what the notes were about.
He was told to take her to another counseling institution - Amani Counseling Centre and Training Institute.
After taking her for the first session, he said, the counsellor said the girl was fine to resume classes.
Three days later, he took her back to school, but the principal sent them back, this time requiring them to attend counseling from a "reputable institution".
