Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale has proposed the reintroduction of caning and corporal punishment in schools amid concerns over the rising cases of indiscipline, student unrest, and school fires across the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking during a public gathering on Saturday, June 20, Khalwale said he will table a bill in parliament seeking to legalise the practice.

According to the senator, the bill will seek to change the education laws and introduce what he termed as discipline in schools, which, according to him, has led to the rise in unrest in schools.

"I already drafted a bill seeking to change the education laws so that what was scrapped by the previous parliament of disciplining students to be reinstated, so that when students misbehave, they are canned," Khalwale stated.

📌 What You Need to Know

"And as a parent, if you do not want a teacher to cain your child, come for him so that others can continue with learning," he added.

Khalwale argues that current disciplinary measures have failed to curb misconduct among learners.

He further contends that teachers have been stripped of effective disciplinary tools following the ban on corporal punishment and the enactment of laws aimed at protecting children's rights.

The proposal comes at a time when over 200 schools have closed indefinitely following student unrest that has, on some occasions, led to school fires and destruction of school infrastructures.

Following the wave that spiked in the second term, the Ministry of Education has received several proposal s to change the several laws governing basic education, including reviewing the second term structure, introducing two mid-term breaks and reintroducing corporal punishment.

The punishment is prohibited under the Children's Act 2022 and the Basic Education Act 2013, which completely bars teachers from disciplining learners through caning.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke