Members of Parliament on Tuesday stated that principals should be held responsible whenever criminal acts take place in schools.
The National Assembly Education Committee also maintained that only tutors registered with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should support co-curricular activities in schools.
“Principals have been entrusted with children. They should be held responsible should the students come to any harm,” Tinderet Member of Parliament Julius Melly who chairs the committee stated.
His statement came barely hours after Moi Girls' Principal Jael Murithi opted for early retirement, according to the Teachers Service Commission.
[caption caption="Chairman Parliamentary Education Research and Technology Committee chairman Julius Melly (centre) addressing the media"]
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The government cracked down on officials of the school that has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons.
Melly asked schools to set up teams that will assist in implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of safety.
“The recurrence of danger in public secondary schools even after the release of the safety and standards manual by the Education Ministry poses questions that demand urgent answers," Melly noted.
"Insecurity in schools disrupts learning and leads to the destruction of property and lives, thus putting the spotlight on teachers,” he argued during a briefing on school safety at Parliament Buildings.
According to the lawmakers, some individuals employed by schools to train students usually mishandle the learners.
The lawmakers noted that the ministry should insist on compulsory in-service disaster management training and encourage workshops on safety.
Additionally, the committee maintained it would put pressure on Education CS Amina Mohamed and her Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i to ensure safety in all schools.
[caption caption="MP Julius Melly"]
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