Matiang’i: Bullying to be confronted with a measure of ruthlessness

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr. Fred Matiang’i has said the government will be firm on school managers who will fail to protect learners under their care from bullying and other forms of mistreatment.

“We will confront the issue with a measure of ruthlessness,” Dr. Matiang’i said.

Speaking a conference for the Catholic Educational Institutions Head teachers and Directors Conference, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Dr. Matiang’i said head teachers must take responsibility for what is happening in their school.

Saying that regulations required that head teachers sleep in schools noting that nothing replaces the presence of school heads on the school.

Dr. Matiang’i also expressed concern that some schools carried out weekend tuition when regulations required that they provide tuition between 8.00am and 5.00pm.

He said schools unduly overburdened learners, saying weekend tuition was unthinkable.

“The saddest thing about this is that teacher’s studied educational psychology during their training,” Dr. Matiang’i said adding that children should be left to go to church and spend their time with families over the weekends.

The CS said he had advised Vice Chancellors of Public Universities not to pay salaries to lecturers on strike, saying the advice was grounded in the laws of the country.

“Why do you want to make money when you have not worked?” Dr. Matiang’i posed.

He was flanked Chairman, Commission for Education and Religious Education Father Maurice M. Makumba, and Vice Chancellor of CUEA, Prof. Justus Mbae.

Father Maurice M. Makumba praised the Ministry of Education for the manner it had administered 2016 KCPE and KCSE examinations.

He asked the government to extent quality assurance and standards services to private schools, saying they also needed quality delivery of the curriculum just like their public schools counterparts.