Machogu sends warning to parents over KCSE performance
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu has threatened police action against parents or communities who will be found to have frog-marched school heads over the poor performance of their children in national exams.
His remarks come in the wake of sporadic incidents where school principals were confronted by angry parents over the dismal performance of their children in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
Machogu said any stakeholder who is aggrieved by the perceived poor performance of schools in national examinations is advised to follow legal means to report to relevant authorities for action and not to invade schools and frog march teachers out.
His warning on Monday comes hot on the heels of two incidents in Uasin Gishu and Kakamega counties where parents stormed two schools and flogged heads of the institutions.
The principal at St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School in Mumias and the school’s director of education found himself in unfamiliar territory after parents evicted him from the school.
The incident came barely a week after a similar incident occurred at Mafuta Secondary School in Moiben, Uasin Gishu County.
Machogu sends warning to parents over KCSE performance
The January 11 incident saw angry parents storm the school in protest after the best KCSE candidate attained mean Grade D+ in the 2023 exams.
The second-best student at the school scored a D -while the rest of the candidates scored a grade E.
The parents held protests, barricaded roads and called for the removal of the Principal blaming him for failing in his responsibility to steer the school to success.
But Machogu absolved school heads from blame over learners’ poor performance saying achievement in examinations is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and candidates themselves.
At Isongo, parents joined hands with learners and forcefully removed the school Principal from his office in a humiliating manner, forcing the school head to hop onto a motorbike in a bid to get away from the angry mob.
Mumias East MP Peter Salasya who spoke at the school said it’s upon school heads to ensure candidates perform well in national exams.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Kakamega County and the county Governor Fernandes Barasa condemned the incident saying such cases should not be tolerated.
Barasa echoed Machogu’s sentiments that a school’s performance is the reflection of the overall input of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and candidates.
Machogu sends warning to parents over KCSE performance
