Publisher: korir, africanpress@getmail.no
<Story by Leo Odera Omolo
Lack of clear-cut short of policy governing secondary schools education has paved the way and rooms for tribalism, clanism and sectarianism into various school in Nynza Province.
Already three girls secondary schools, two located in the newly created Kuria West district and one in Kegonga Division in Kuria East district. The schools affected ar Nyarowa Girls Secondary School, the oldest in the former larger Kuria, Nyabohanse Girls Secondary School and St. Mary’s Mabera Girls Secondary School. This particular school is sponsored by the catholic Diocese of Homa-Bay.
St. Mary’s Maber is the worst hit. Nyabohanse is already closed when the girls were incited to go on strike, and the Headmistress forced out. The former Headmistress Mrs Florance Omondi was recently forced to seek for transfer to other schools. The former school’s head only mistake is his tribal background. She is a Luo by tribe while it is a known factor tyhatr young graduate Kuria teachers would like to head all the secondary schools located within their locality.
In the neighbouring St. Mary’s Mabera Girls Secondary School things have taken quite a different dimension. The Headmistress Mrs Diana Oboro, cannot access her place of work. Bands of youths have been hired and intoxicated with bhangs and “Changaa” to ensure she has no free access to the school.
Mrs Oboro an experienced school teacher per excellence had to be given police escort to access her place of work. Early last week thugs sneaked into the school and padlocked her school’s office under mysterious circumstance. The D.C. for Kuria West was forced to move in with a team of security personnel and re-opened the school administration office after cutting the illegal pad-locks.
Mrs Oboro arrived in St. Mary’s Mabera Girls Secondary School four years ago when the institution was reportedly run-down by its former administrator. The student population had declined from 400 plus to slightly over 200 because parent had removed their doughters and sent them to other school. This was after the had gained the notoriety and even derogatory christened St. Malayas.
Girls were freely sneaking out the schools compound at night time and being driven out by amorous men involved in sexual escapades with impunity. She imposed strict school rules and disciplinary. This has led to St. Mary’s Mabera Girl s Secondary Schools scoring a respectable position in last year’s KCSE with close to 60 per cent mean grade passes. Out of 60 students who sat for the KCSE 42 scored c+ and above. This was not mean achievement, and even some parents and schools BOG members felt it was a miracle for the school which many years was performing poorly.
But Mrs Oboro’s predicament began in February this year. This was after the teachers from within the locality who had expected her to perform poorly sensed that her remarkable performances would prolong her stay in the school. It all started when she quieried about a teacher in the school a Mr. Christopher Nyang’anyi Motaigwa married his former student against the rules and regulations which stipulated that a school teacher cannot commit himself to an act of marriage with her former class student unless the girl had stayed out of school for two years.
Mrs Oboro, according to sources reported the incident to the education authoritieds and school BOG for action. The teacher is a former classmaster of the giril in question and he is the son of a retired former Assistant Chief for the area Mzee Joseph Motaigwa, a man who is said to have enormous influence in the schools affairs.
The resident priest Father Joseph Matiko who hails from within the locality, appeared to have abdicated his priesthood role, and joined his clansmen in harassing the headmistress for simple reason. She had questioned the rationale of a teacher marrying his former class student before the two years regulation set by the Ministry of Education had lapsed.
The priest is reported to have written several nasty letters to the Bishop accusing the Headmistress Mrs Oboro, and when the Bishop invited the two to his Homa-Bay offices for consultation plus hearing of their views, the Headmistress was cleared of anby wrong doing and told to go back and perform her duty.
The civic leader Councillor Ri0ba Bakobara has also joined the league with his clansmen in traumatizing the headmistress. Only the M[P for Kuria Dr. Wilfred Mchage has come openly and told his constituents not to interfere with the work of civil servants posted to implement development activities in the areas, particularly the teachers . But for some local political reasons, the Assistant Minister pleas have landed on the rocks. The school is said to be located in Bugumbe, a sub-clan of the Kuria , which never humbled itself to the MP and had voted one of their own during the last December’s general election.
Dr. Machage, however, is said to have soft heart for all the teachers including those who hails from outside the two Kuria district and has always urged them to perform well to the satisfaction of the parents, students and all the stakeholders, He is said to have spoken strongly against those harassing well performing school teachers in his constituency irrespective of their tribal background. Dr. Machage is said to be seriously committed to the education of girls in his constituency and has been very cooperative and resourcesful to the teachers in the area.
Asked why she is staying away from her school, Mrs Oboro toldthis writer over the phone that she has not deserted her students and the school, but she cannot imaginbe going to work only under police escort. Each time she is busy working in the school compound. Hired gang of goons come to the main gates and started hurling abuse and un printable words to her in the face of her staff and students. On one occasion unknown persons visited her house in the school’s compound and made an attempt to break into the house with the purpose of causing her bodily harm. The thugs broke all the windows and escaped in the darkness when she raised the alarm.
Mrs Oboro said she has worked hard, built three teachers houses plus her own, domirtory and employed a matron who is taking care of the girls within the school compound and brought the institution back to its normalcy, therefore she won’t like to work there under the protection of policemen. “After my services is still being required by other communities elsewhere, and I cannot afford to work under such circumstances,” she added.
Reached by phone the provincial Director of Education offices in Kisumu promised that the matter is receiving their attention and would be sorted out very soon, but the spokesman declined to give the deadline. But Mrs Oboro is firm saying she will stay out until the problems are sorted out.
Education Minister Prof. Sam K.Ongeri, the man who is known for his lust for excellence will have to move with speed to restore confidence of the parents that all are well and that the schools are beyond the reach of petty clanism politics.
When this writer visited the St. Mary’s Mabera Grls Secondary School in Kuria West district, he discovered that most of the noise makers are Matatu touts operating in the nearby bus terminal. They have formed the bad habit of shouting obscenity to the Headmistress as soon as she arrives to start work under the police escort.
At timesthe seemingly drunken goons were heard by the distraught looking parents shouting that they would lynch the Headmistress if she continued working in the schools, and that she must vacate in the same style as the former Headmistress of the neighbouring Nyabohanse Girls SecondarySchool whose headmistress went away after the students were incited to go on strike.
The interested locals, according to a source had even used colossal amount of money paying one of the scribes to discredit the Headmistgress in vain. Most of the studenbts told this write that the would walk out of the school if Mrs Oboro was not going toi be allowed to perform her duties.
The parents also concurred with the student that the Headmistress is a performer and wouldn’t like her immediate departure , particularly at this time when the Form Fours were being prepared to face this year exam.
One member of the BOG who preferred to maintain his anonymity told this writer that he trouble at the school is caused by young graduate teachers from within the locality, who are apparently in hurry of becoming headteachers. But this could be at the expense pof the students. In some schools, the former head teachers were forced out only to give the rooms for looters of the institutions resources. “This is what we really don’t want too see it happens here again.
ends
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African Press International – api
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<Story by CHISHALA MUSONDA
