Principal Secretary in the State Department for Basic Education Julius Bitok has directed school principals and teachers across the country, to cease forcing students into examinations, instead advocating for dialogue with the learners.
Speaking against a backdrop of school unrest that has led to closures and property destruction in a couple of institutions over the past three weeks, Bitok urged school administrators to adopt dialogue over coercion as the primary tool for restoring calm.
“We have told school principals and teachers: do not force students to take exams. Negotiate with them. If students are not ready, and you believe an exam — whether it is a Mock or a Continuous Assessment — is causing problems, then speak with them,” he stated.
The PS emphasised the need for a fundamental shift in how schools interact with their students, asserting that the current generation of learners cannot be managed with an iron fist.
“Lazima tuwaskize hawa wanafunzi. Pia wao wako na mambo ya kusema. Tuwaskize, tuwaelewe, na tujue wanataka nini. Hawa watoto wetu sio kama wa kitambo. Si wa kulazimishwa. Hawa ni wa kuongeleshwa,” he said in Swahili.
Translation: “We must listen to these students. They too have things to say. Let us listen, understand, and know what they want. These children are not like those of the old days. They cannot be forced. They must be engaged.”
Bitok cited mock examinations and Continuous Assessment Tests as key triggers for the current tensions, calling on Boards of Management to consider temporary postponements where necessary.
“Mock examinations are creating tension in our schools. We have asked the Boards of Management and school management to consider even temporarily postponing them. Let us have a conversation with the students. If they are not ready for a mock exam, we should be able to engage with them,” he explained.
He added that delaying an exam was far more prudent than risking property destruction and institutional closures.
“Ni afadhali mtihani uhairishwe, kuliko kulazimisha hawa kufika asubuhi wamechoma shule. Huo ndio msimamo wangu,” he said, which loosely translates to: “It is better to postpone an exam than to force students and wake up in the morning to find they have burned the school. That is my position.”
Regarding the government’s intervention measures, Bitok revealed that a national audit of all boarding schools has been ordered over the next 10 days to assess compliance with safety standards.
Additionally, he announced the deployment of 1,000 quality assurance officers across schools nationwide to support efforts to contain the unrest.
He also appealed to parents, urging them to strengthen guidance and counselling at home and reinforce student leadership structures to establish meaningful channels of communication between adults and learners.
Despite his accommodating tone on exams and dialogue, Bitok drew a firm line on the school calendar, dismissing suggestions of altering it. Bitok was categorical that the calendar cannot be changed.
“99.2% of our schools are safe. Learning is going on well. Less than 80 schools around the country are the ones which have a problem. And we are not going to change the term dates because of 80 schools out of 52,000 schools,” he stated.
The PS directed all County Directors of Education to be firm, insisting that the government’s significant investment in education demanded decisive action.
“We have problems in less than 80 schools, and the 80 schools are telling us to change the calendar of the term. And yet, more than 51,000 schools are running smoothly. We cannot just be wishy-washy about it. We must be firm and do the right thing,” he said.
