Voi Boys Secondary School has allegedly suspended 10 students for eating extra bread than they were allowed to during breakfast.
As a consequence, the suspended students were instructed to inform their parents to buy wheat flour and 10 litres of cooking oil each, as part of their punishment. The students are expected to report back to school on Monday.
According to Elias Mberi, the school parent representative, the decision to impose such a punishment was made by consensus during a meeting.
The aim is to address what is perceived as ‘indiscipline’ among the students and prevent such behavior in the future.
“That is the practice in all schools across the country. In this case, the parent will now instill discipline in the child,” he said.
“The child will also see what the parent has gone through and he will not repeat such a mistake,” the school parent representative added.
Taita Taveta County Director of Education, Khalif Hirey strongly rebuked the decision taken by the secondary school.
He asserted that there were alternative ways for the school to resolve the dispute and address any disciplinary issues without having to stretch to such extremes.
He also added that he has not received any complaints from affected parents, insisting that the matter will be thoroughly investigated so as to ensure learning continues for the students.
Hirey has encouraged parents to report such matters to his office.
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“The parents should not shy away from coming to us. We will not victimise them because they are seeking justice. If that happens, then we will not condone such kind of actions by schools,” the DoE clarified.
One of the parents whose child returned home said that this punishment was a means to get to the parent and not her son. She said that they were suspended when the end-of-term exams were just starting.
“My son came home and told me that he took two portions of bread instead of one and he was ordered to go back with those items,” she narrated.
She returned her son to school only for the deputy principal to deny her son learning.
He told her to first pay the school fees balance, and buy the punishment commodities for her son to be considered for the school. The woman claims that the school’s decision has taken a financial toll on her
“I have spent Sh. 4,600 for the items and Sh. 1,500 for our transport to school. I have other responsibilities and this is a punishment to me and not to my son,” the mother lamented.