Secondary Schools in Machakos Announce Closure Over students Unrest.
According to their principals, several public secondary schools in Machakos County have closed indefinitely due to student disturbance. Students were released to go home on Monday morning.
A school principal said over the phone on Sunday night, “I’m releasing my students tomorrow due to security concerns, particularly following reported unrest. One of the schools closed indefinitely is Mitaboni ABC Girls in Kathiani Subcounty.
The Machakos Boys High School, also known as Machakos School, has closed indefinitely due to alleged student unrest.
Following the unrest among students that lasted all night Sunday, the school’s principal, Benson Manoo, implemented the closure early Monday.
When asked for a comment on the matter, Manoo did not answer the phone.
He did, however, answer with a text message: “I will call back.”
After intensifying their national protest, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) allowed the students to return home.
Other schools that closed on Monday include Masii Girls, Matungulu ABC, and Mtituni SA Secondary Schools.
Destruction of Properties
The night saw the destruction of two girls’ schools in Machakos and Makueni districts.
At around 8.25 p.m., two dormitories at Nyayo Girls Secondary School in Kalama subcounty burned down, leaving 146 girls without a place to sleep.
Following the arrest of two Form 2 girls for suspected arson, they spent the night in classrooms.
The same night, nearby Makueni saw the destruction of a dormitory at Makindu Girls High School.
The dormitory, which could house 55 students, caught fire as a result of student unrest at the institution, according to police.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) intensified its strike, resulting in the closure. According to Kuppet, Machakos branch secretary general Musembi Katuku confirmed the schools’ closure, noting that multiple schools will return students to their homes tomorrow.
“No teaching is going on in these schools because there are no teachers,” Katuku said. Early Sunday, Kuppet officials conducted a National Governing Council meeting and declared that their nationwide strike would continue.
They insisted that no teaching will take place in all schools across the country, inviting parents to pick up their children from their specific schools.
Teachers’ Industrial Action
“The schools are not operational, and they will not run. The instructors will remain at home for the next week and beyond, according to Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori.
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Demonstrations in many parts of the country rocked the first week of the third school term, as Kuppet-affiliated teachers pushed for their concerns with their employer, the Teachers Service Commission.
Tensions at the facility remained high by the time of publication. The incidents occurred only days after some Kuppet members attacked several schools in the county, purportedly ejecting teachers suspected of working while their colleagues continued to protest.
The Kuppet members have pledged to completely halt learning in all schools across the country unless the government listens to their demands.
Secondary Schools in Machakos Announce Closure Over students Unrest.
