The National Assembly Department Committee on Education has resolved to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into growing cases of school fires, destruction of property, and student unrest reported in learning institutions across the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Committee, chaired by Julius Melly, decided during a meeting convened to deliberate on the recent wave of unrest that has affected at least 204 schools, with 47 fire incidents recorded since January, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

The Committee Chairperson added that the inquiry would help establish the root causes of the recurring incidents and inform recommendations to restore stability in schools.

"We need to come up with a way forward on how we are going to look into school unrest across the country," he said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The committee members also raised concerns over overcrowding in schools, commercialisation of education, drug and substance abuse, inadequate learner support systems, poor communication between students and school administrations, and declining societal values.

"We are producing children who are not adequately guided at home and are heavily influenced by social media and other external factors," Chairperson Melly said.

The Committee was further briefed by its research unit on findings from previous studies, audits, and assessments, which highlighted concerns about Fire Safety Preparedness.

Additionally, there was a recent  Ministry of Education school safety assessment, which identified widespread non-compliance with prescribed safety standards, including overcrowded dormitories and inadequate emergency exits.

Further, there was a weak emergency preparedness arrangement and deficiencies in safety infrastructure.

Abdul Haro (Mandera South) cautioned against treating school unrest solely as a disciplinary issue, arguing that the problem reflected broader challenges facing learners and society.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke