The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in partnership with the ministry of education has announced that all schools are expected to establish a new club that will help students develop integrity.
The initiative was announced at a joint forum of Integrity Clubs and EACC, which was attended by over 20 secondary schools in Kisii, Migori, Nyamira and Homa Bay.
Speaking at the forum, EACC Director Vincent Okongo, commended the school for its achievements in establishing and supporting unity clubs across the country.
“The introduction of the integrity club in the school has significantly increased discipline among students, which is a prerequisite for academic success,” he said.
He added that schools have so far recorded high levels of student strikes, theft, drug use and other forms of misconduct and this can be reduced if integrity club is there and active.
Okong’o said the club is a way to ensure a corruption-free country in the future, adding that corruption and other social ills are perpetrated by people who are morally flawed even if they are intelligent.
He said that schools are targeted because youth are key players in the fight against corruption.
Okongo said, society does not provide role models, and young people rely on social media and peers for guidance on issues that affect them. This leaves them vulnerable to misguided advice that can lead to unwanted behavior.
The integrity club at school helps in developing character, inculcating appropriate values and positive attitudes among young people about ethical issues affecting young people and how to deal with them.
It also increases students’ knowledge about ethics and integrity and empowers youth to promote good governance as a means of fighting corruption.
EACC also said that it helps the youth to embrace patriotism, develop a culture of honest hard work and encourage consistent implementation of the prescribed rules.
Okongo echoed that the anti-corruption body expects all schools to establish and operate integrity clubs in line with the Ministry of Education’s circular issued in 2010 based on EACC’s recommendations.
He said that the Ministry of Education and Culture has ordered all educational institutions to create clubs in the implementation regulations.
