Education stakeholders have raised concern over increasing cases of unrest in schools, with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) calling on learners to maintain discipline and use proper structures to resolve grievances.
In Kisumu, KNUT Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno linked the growing incidents of indiscipline to peer influence, warning that the trend has led to destruction of school property and disruption of learning activities in several institutions.
He stressed the importance of students relying on established leadership systems within schools instead of engaging in protests or disruptive conduct that interferes with the academic calendar.
“The school calendar must proceed and go on uninterrupted so that we can have the calendar completed at the end of the year. Students, we are calling you up to style up, be the students you are supposed to be. If you have anything you want to address, you have the student body in that school that has been elected so that you can have dialogue with the leadership of the school,” he said.
Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Angeng’o also weighed in, commending schools that have adopted structured communication channels between teachers and students, saying such systems help maintain order and improve learning environments.
She encouraged other institutions to adopt similar approaches that promote dialogue and early resolution of conflicts before they escalate into unrest.
“We have learnt here how teachers are engaging positively with the students. They have channels for discipline and also channels for communication. This is one thing that I want to add also other schools to emulate in terms of positive communication with the students, to create an environment that is safe for learning and not an environment of discomfort,” the PS said.
The remarks were made after the two officials attended a church service at Nyakach Girls High School, where they also interacted with students and school administrators in Nyakach.
The visit comes at a time when several schools across the country have reported unrest, prompting renewed calls for strengthened guidance, communication and discipline within learning institutions.
