Teachers warned of stern action over corporal punishment

Nyamira, Friday April 14, 2023

K.N.A By Deborah Bochere

Nyanza Regional Commissioner, Flora Mworoa has warned teachers of stringent disciplinary measures against any of them who will be reported administering corporal punishment to students.

Addressing Nyamira county primary and secondary school heads at Kebirigo High school Thursday, Mworoa said the trend is worrying due to its constant occurrence.

“Corporal punishment is against the law in our country as emphasized in the children’s Act 2022. The reported cases in Nyamira are of great concern to those of us in charge of security because it looks like our children are not secure while in school and learn under the fear of being beaten up for any mistake, the more reason why we have come to interact and remind ourselves that it is not going to be business as usual if this situation is not going to change,” she said.

 “We shall not hesitate to arrest any teacher who will administer corporal punishment to a student irrespective of the mistake because we have alternative and better ways of dealing with misbehavior of our students in school and advise that school heads must emphasize on the use of those alternatives means of discipline,” the Regional Commissioner stated.

 Mworoa further pointed out that defilement cases by teachers are immoral and criminal and warned those who will enter in the ‘hook’ of dire consequences.

She further encouraged teachers to involve parents in extreme indiscipline cases to coordinate and find ways of helping the children change their behaviour.

She hinted that they intend to meet other school heads and principals in the entire region so that they are reminded that whenever bad incidents are reported from their schools, they cannot get away with it even if they were never directly involved for as long as they are the overall managers of their institutions, they will be held culpable for negligence and failure to take charge and control the situation.

The Regional Director of Education (RDE), Nelson Sifuna further observed that the reports in the media and social media about children who have been left with deep body scars and some left with permanent ones, and the Psychological trauma is very alarming and can no longer be tolerated.

Courtesy K.N.A