'Close them!' Nakuru parents react to Ministry's directive on boarding schools

The events that unfolded at Hillside Endarasha Academy, in Nyeri county, on September 6 will remain engrained in the mind of Jane Wekesa a mother of a form 2 student in one of the schools in Nakuru County.

“When I woke up to that news, I was shocked to my core. I immediately remembered my son who studies in Njoro as I could not imagine such an incident happening in their school,” she says.

Jane’s sentiments resonate with those of other parents who have their children in various boarding schools across the country.

These worries and fears permeated through to the corridors of the Ministry of Education compelling the ministry to carry out inspections in the primary boarding sections of schools.

From this, the Ministry flagged 348 schools that were not approved to host boarding learners, seven were schools in Nakuru.

These are; Visions Kiambogo, PCA Umoja, Springs Junior, St. Samuel Faith Academy, Excel Academy, King's Academy and St. Francis of Assisi Secondary.

Joseph Mburu a Nakuru resident who spoke to Mtaa Wangu via phone says he fully supports the government’s decision.

“This is a matter of life and death and we should not gamble with the lives of our children. We all witnessed what happened in Endarasha and so we should avoid it at all cost. I would like to thank the government for taking a step in the right direction to prevent such occurrences from happening again,” he says.

 The Nakuru County Education Director, Victoria Mulili, through a phone call interview, confirmed that the closure meant it was only the boarding sections of the schools that were affected and not the school in its entirety.

“For those schools that were listed and were found unfit, we would only urge them to seek re assessment by quality assurance and if upon re-evaluation we find that indeed the school is fit to be open, then we shall advise the ministry of education on the same. Until that point, the letter still remains,” she says.

The Director says that in the meantime parents of the children in the affected schools should make alternative arrangements for their children.

“The teaching staff in the schools will not be affected in any way because the schools will still continue functioning as day schools,” she affirms.

Ms Mulili concluded by saying that parents should also take part in ensuring the school they are admitting their children to are safe.

“I would like to urge the parents to also visit schools and ensure that the schools they are admitting their children to have met the required standards,” she concludes.