The Ambira incident should be a wake up call to the government that you can’t give absolute rights to the children without putting in place proper checks to ensure indiscipline is dealt with firmly. Teachers deal with worse cases year in year out.
When such students are suspended, the ministry comes in very first with the clauses on learners rights forgetting that each time students appear to win in cases against the school authorities, the authorities simply become weak and create a sense of “am above the law/regulations attitude and we will always have our way mentality” in these young people.
Just when we were wondering what happened at Ambira, the Bomet incident happens making the Ambira incident look like a Christmas party. Read more here: Police arrest 30 students for engaging in a sex orgy
What do these two incidences communicate? Its simply that as a people we are losing in nurturing this young generation.
When you degrade the teacher, condemn the teacher at every opportunity, demotivate the teacher how do you expect the young observant Kenyans to respect the same teacher? How do you expect these young Kenyans to accept to be moulded by this same teacher you so much belittle each day. To destroy a nation, destroy the foundation of education by degrading the teacher.
Now which way Kenya? Go back to the crossroads, consult and involve the teacher in policy formulation. Respect the teacher, then the learner will respect the teacher and take his/her advice seriously then, only then will we win this war.
If not, these 2018 incidents will seem like a Christmas party in future.
©Ouko Laban Bosire
The writer is a vocal Unionst who is currently the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, KUPPET, Chair; in Kisii County.
