By KBC Reporter
A Secondary school for girls in Kitui County is the center of a broiling conflict pitting the school administration, parents and students over allegations that the school was forcing students with poor results in the end of year examinations to repeat the class for another year.
By yesterday three students who were not promoted to form three and forced to repeat form 2 had abandoned school altogether while the fate of several others who had posted results below the minimum of D+ in the end terms remained unknown.
Some of the students who spoke in anonymity accused the school administration of nepotism in promotion of students to the next class, claiming that some of those moved to form four have lower grades than them.
As the allegation goes, the highest grade of the school in last year’s KCSE was B- the grade the school wants to improve by forcing those not achieving the desired grade to repeat classes contrary to education act that discourages repetition of classes not only in secondary schools but also in Primary level.
Irate parents who talked to the Press accused the Principal of resorting to unfair punitive measures of forcing students to repeat classes instead of organizing clinics for both parents and students as a measure of improving the school’s performance.
The parents urged Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Mating’i to crackdown on corrupt secondary school principals disobeying education rules for self interest.
When the Press visited the school, the Principal Judy Mutisya declined to comment, but it was later revealed that she had agreed to meet the parents of the affected children.
