Protect parents from rogue school managers

The beginning of the academic calendar is always an agonising time for Kenyan parents.

This is when corrupt school heads and rogue Ministry of Education and teachers service commission officials collude to illegally solicit unnecessary levies from already overburdened parents.

Through illegal unrecognised levies christened “motivation”, “trips” and “activities”, the unethical individuals subject parents to uncalled-for expenses. The behaviour should be stopped through thorough assessment and supervision of the public institutions of learning.

Parents are also subjected to the compulsory purchase of school attires and colours from school uniform outlets identified by corrupt school heads and management committee members.

That sometimes leads to a conflict of interest since some of these outlets belong to businesses owned by the officials or their relatives.

In some schools, parents are required to provide tools, farm implements and cleaning equipment during admission. These include jembes, rakes, pangas, slashers, mops, buckets and rugs. The materials are said to be delivered for display but returned to the stores, whose owners are accomplices in the crime.

The country is undergoing difficult economic times. We, therefore, need to put in place strategies and guidelines to protect the parents from these corrupt and unethical school managers. Only then will education make sense.

Ali Khalif Abdow, Nyeri

* * *

During long school holidays, many girls have undergone challenges. The major ones include unwanted pregnancy and forced early marriage, which makes most of them drop out of school.

Most of the affected teenagers are from the northern region, where residents still follow an archaic culture.

The government should intervene and help the affected girls to resume their education.

Harriet Sherine Mandu, Migori

* * *

The time for transition for Grade 6 pupils to G7 is finally here. The biggest question is, are we prepared for the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)? Education CS Ezekiel Machogu has assured Kenyans that most of the schools intended for Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are ready.

Having been introduced in the country in 2017, with two years of inactivity due to interruption by the Covid-19 pandemic, I don’t think we are prepared for CBC.

There are three missing prerequisites—infrastructure, funds and personnel—yet they form the core factors for rating the success of CBC. Another pitfall is the creation of few professionals since the system is generalising all, creating average professionalism.

Lincoln Kinyua, Kiambu