Features

Principals: Ghost students crucial for country’s progress

Monday, July 5th, 2021 00:00 | By
Ghost students.

Mambo Matata

Principals, headmasters and Board of Governors have come out to strongly defend the enrollment of ghost students, on whom the taxpayers reportedly spent Sh1.8 billion last year, in their schools.

They also supported the establishment of ghost schools, saying they hold the key to the country achieving its educational and economic aspirations, including Vision 2030.

The educators said ghost learners and schools were necessary to ensure all the country’s workers were adequately educated.  

They argued that while the regular workers were catered for by regular learning institutions, no one had considered a particular group of employees who make a substantial part of the county and national governments’ payrolls – the ghost workers.

Besides the public service, they said, ghost companies also require employees who are well educated and trained, which makes it necessary to enroll more fake students.

“The ghost workers also need to be qualified and competent to deliver. But how can they do that if no one gives them a chance to acquire education?

That is why we decided to enroll ghost students in our schools who will eventually take up jobs as ghost workers in counties and the national government when they graduate,” said Mwalimu Gushi, who is the chairman of the Progressive Principals Association (PPA).

He explained that the PPA brings together head teachers who support progressive ideas including non-discrimination of ghost workers.

The lobby group also campaigns for the establishment of more ghost schools and colleges.  

Gushi said the Sh1.8 billion used to pay for the education of non-existent students was money well-spent and would pay off in near future.

“That’s a wise investment on Kenya’s future. This country cannot expect to develop if a good chunk of its human resource is not well-prepared for the job market.

With educated ghost workers, Kenya can scale greater economic heights,” said Gushi.

He urged the national Treasury to increase cash allocations to schools to enable head teachers register more fake students. 

The principal also urged county governments, who he said are bound to benefit more from ghost graduates because of the high number of ghost workers on their payrolls, to also support the education of ghost students and help build more ghost schools.

Gushi lauded the few investors who have seen the light and established ghost schools, singling out the courageous government official who reportedly came up with a fake school which tax payer gave Sh11 million.

“Instead of condemning these forward-looking trailblazers, they should be given the Head-of-State commendation on Jamhuri Day and feted on Mashujaa Day for their bravery and selfless efforts to give education to every Kenyan including the often discriminated ghost workers,” he said.

The Principal urged investors to come up with more such schools, saying the demand for ghost workers had risen particularly with the advent of devolution. The special schools would ensure the demand is met, he said.

Gushi called on universities and middle-level colleges to admit ghost secondary school graduates to enable them acquire higher education, thus further improve the quality of ghost workers hired by county and national governments.

Meanwhile, ghost students have vowed to protest any attempts to strike them out of the register, warning that the consequences of such a reckless move would be calamitous.

They said that like any Kenyan children they have a constitutional right to be educated with the tax payer’s money.

“We will haunt any government official who will try to deregister us and our schools.

They will know no peace for the rest of their lives,” said Phantom Hewa, the leader of the Ghost Students Association.

Hewa also threatened the Auditor General with sleepless nights and restless days for exposing them. - [email protected][email protected]

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