CS Machogu pledges stern action against perpetrators of school invasions
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has condemned the invasion of schools over claims of poor performance in the national examination.
Machogu said that a few cases of teacher harassment over claims of poor candidates’ performance have been witnessed in some schools since the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results were released, which are unacceptable.
He warned that any such invasion would be treated as a criminal act
"The ministry is disturbed by this unfortunate trend, which appears to create the impression that the burden of poor performance in examinations must be exclusively borne by teachers, especially the Head of Institution," CS Machogu said in a statement on Monday, January 15.
"Going forward, the Ministry of Education will treat any invasion to schools to frog-march the teachers out of their workstations as acts of crime that will prompt firm and decisive action from law enforcers," he added.
This came against the backdrop of a recent incident in Kakamega, where parents and boda boda riders invaded a secondary school and ejected the principal while chanting him down.
The CS has, however, told communities behind these regrettable attacks that learner achievement in examinations is the reflection of the overall input from all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and candidates themselves.
He stated that the Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have put in place a robust and elaborate mechanism for evaluating the performance of teachers and field officers which always ensures non-performing staff are dealt with per existing laws and policies.
He urged any stakeholder who is aggrieved by the perceived poor performance of schools in national
examinations to follow legal means to report to relevant authorities for action.
