Uhuru makes it clear; schools won’t close early

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday stated categorically that schools will not close early.

This dashed the hopes of those calling for schools to be closed early to stem the unprecedented burning of schools. The President also warned the perpetrators that they will be brought to book.

“Those who are trying to release their frustrations because they can no longer sell exam papers should know that the exams this year will be done without leakages,” the President said.

He said the government was out to streamline education, including battling and stemming exam leakages, and that it would not be cowed.

The exam stealing and corruption syndicates, many fear, are most likely behind the spate of arson.

The Head of State was speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, where 3,200 youth trained by The Mckinsey Initiative and the KCB Foundation were graduating.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i vowed not to relent in his push to rid education of corruption and lethargy.

He has blamed the fires which have so far affected more than 120 schools on syndicates out to protect the money they have been getting selling exams.

Less than one per cent of schools countrywide have been set on fire. Dr Matiang’i said some teachers were hell-bent on pushing him out because of the reforms he has introduced especially on the conduct of national examinations and the overhaul of book procurement.

But on Friday, teachers rejected the claims, insisting it was the extension of the term that had angered students.

Dr Matiang’i in March extended the second term and banned prayer days and visiting in third term in an effort to stop runaway cheating in the national exams, which was eroding the integrity of Kenya’s education.

The second term was scheduled to end on August 5, but it was extended by one week to August 12. Third term dates were also changed with the term beginning on August 29 and ending on October 28.

“The union’s position is that students are going on the rampage because they are unhappy with the extension of second term,” Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers deputy secretary-general Moses Nthurima said.

ROOT CAUSE
He said the minister introduced the reforms without consultation. “The extension of second term has caused a burnout among students and they are protesting.”

This position is becoming increasingly untenable since the extension was by seven days only.

Dr Matiang’i has however remained firm and insisted that schools will only be closed on the date set by the ministry.

“The number of schools affected is not even one per cent of the secondary schools in Kenya and we are not going to make a policy change by fiat just because of a few misguided students,” he said.

The CS spoke even as the National Assembly Education Committee said it had summoned him to appear before it on Tuesday to explain what the government was doing to avert more destruction.

“We do not want to blame anyone yet. We will listen to all the stakeholders, the minister, teachers, students and parents too. We are going to prepare a comprehensive report,” the committee’s chairperson, Ms Sabina Chege, told Saturday Nation on Friday.

Already, the opposition wants Dr Matiang’i to resign claiming he had been unable to contain the situation.

Ms Chege said her committee would speak to students to find out the cause of the madness to burn school properties.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairman John Awiti supported Ms Chege’s comments saying all should be left to investigators to determine the cause of the fires.

Also calling for an early closure was renowned academic Prof James Tuitoek.

The former Egerton University Vice-Chancellor blamed the media for fueling the crisis through reports “and students have turned out to be copy cats. They are now competing”.

They want to go on record as the next school on fire.”

Reports by Brian Moseti, Dorcas Odhiambo, Jeremiah Kiplang’at and Francis Mureithi