MWALIMU ANDREW: Why sachets of alcohol may cost Saphire his job

The Class 7 prefect came to the staffroom and told me two boys were drunk after pilfering alcohol from teacher’s jacket

For a long time, Saphire considered going to Hitler’s more important than going to school, and only came to school once he had exhausted his pay.

And as soon as he earned, he would go back to Hitler’s.

Make no mistake, Sapphire is a very bright chap, the best Social Studies and English language teacher you will ever meet this side of the Sahara. When sober.

Outside class, he is one of the most informed persons, with a good grasp of international affairs and local political ongoing; while his knowledge of geography and history are second to none. When he can, he listens toBBC Radioand only reads the international news section of newspapers.

ONLY MOUNTAINS DON'T CHANGE
Earlier this term, Saphire committed himself to changing, and said he would reduce the number of times he goes to Hitler’s. “I want to spend more time in the school doing what I love most — teaching,” he told me when I asked him what his motivation was.

Kuya and Lena doubted this, saying he was beyond repair. True to his word, I noticed he reduced the number of times he goes to Hitler’s, and was in school more often than before.

“I have noted that you are now more available in school,” I told him two weeks ago, after he had been seen in school every day of the week before, the first time such had ever happened since I knew him.

“Only mountains do not change,” he answered. “Where are those who said I cannot change?”

“We never said you can’t change,” said Lena. “We just thought it would be difficult. Congratulations!”

I also told Bensouda, who brought the matter up in a staff meeting and praised Saphire. “When I came to this school, I was told about you and I told TSC that, having worked with teachers that were worse than you, I could help you reform,” she said.

“I told them that you will have reformed by the time I leave this school. I am happy to see progress.”

“Thank you,” Saphire said. “Nitajitahidi zaidi.”

ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY

Every other teacher congratulated him, telling him that he could fully turn the corner. Except Kuya.

“What you must stop is drinking, especially during work hours,” Kuya said. “As long as you are still drinking during work hours, stopping going to Hitler’s doesn’t help.”

“I disagree with you, Kuya,” said Sella. “Rome was not built in a day, and Saphire has to start small changes before he makes big ones. One can’t stop drinking at once.”

“I agree with Sella,” said Erick, our born-again colleague who is always looking for a transfer. “I am a counsellor and know that such changes happen gradually.”

“Guys, I am not arguing with you,” Kuya said. “All I am saying is that Saphire is not making the change he needs to make, actually his drinking has gone up, not reduced!”

“What do you mean by that, Kuya?” asked Erick.

“It’s not only Hitler who has alcohol. So reducing or even stopping going to Hitler’s doesn’t mean one has stopped or reduced drinking,” he argued.

“Hiyo ni wivu,” said Lena.

“Let me keep quiet, but very soon,mtajua hamjui,” he said and left for class.

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

We started observing Saphire more closely. He was now coming to school frequently, but unlike other days when he would be dull and quiet as a result of not having drunk, this time he remained active throughout.

“I think Kuya was right, this guy still drinks a lot,” Sella told me the other week. I asked him how he drinks yet he does not go to Hitler’s.

“You don’t have to go to Hitler’s to drink, you can drink anywhere?” she said.

“But he is always in school!” I wondered.

One thing we observed about him was that for the first time, he was removing his jacket upon arriving in school and walking around without it.

It wasn’t clear where he was keeping the jacket, although when I asked him, he said that he used to feel cold when drunk, but now that he isn't drinking, he is Ok. I believed him.

He would also visit the toilets more often than before.

Last week was the last week of the term. As always, all the end term examinations had been completed the previous week and students were just whiling around as they waited for us to be done with the report forms. It’s usually a difficult time to keep order in the school.

To address this, I assigned teachers classes to sit in the whole day as they prepared report forms, only coming to the staffroom for tea and lunch.

I assigned Sapphire Class 7. He seemed to like this arrangement, he would come to school, go to Class 7, place his jacket on the chair, and sit there the whole day, only interrupted by frequent visits to the toilet and staffroom for lunch.

Saphire never takes tea.

EXPOSED

Last Tuesday, as we had lunch, the Class 7 monitor came to the staffroom and asked to see me in my office. She was quite anxious.

“Two boys are drunk,” she said as soon as we entered the office.

“How can they be drunk?” I wondered. “What time did they go to Hitler’s? Which route did they use?”

“No, they did not leave the classroom,” she said. “They took this,” she said, showing me an empty nylon sachet written Simba Waragi Gin.

“Where did they get it from?” I asked, surprised.

“Saphire’s jacket is always full of these. Since the beginning of the term,” she said. “Boys usually steal one or two but today two of them took a lot.”

I immediately went to Class 7 with her, took Saphire’s jacket and went with it to the staffroom. Kuya and I ransacked the jacket and we found many sachets of Simba Waragi Gin and Empire Gin, some of them empty.

“What is this, Saphire?” I asked, confronting Saphire. “How do you bring alcohol to school? Now two pupils are drunk!”

“What are you doing with my personal effects?” he asked. “Do you have a search warrant? “Plus, how do we know someone malicious did not place those things in my jacket? I have many enemies in this school and you know that.”

Bensouda arrived as we were confronting Saphire. Taking advantage, Saphire took his jacket, plus all the drinks, and disappeared from school. He had not returned by Friday when we closed school.

“Saphire should now say goodbye to teaching,” said Bensouda in the final staff meeting. “I have a watertight case against him. Let’s wait for January 2019”.

This is not the first head teacher who has promised to fix Saphire. He always has a way of coming back.