Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has broken his silence after a primary school student who took five chapatis was brutally thrashed.
Speaking at Aledina Wisram High School in Mombasa on Sunday, 6 February, CS said that corporal punishment is still prohibited under the Kenyan constitution.
He directed that all the teachers who beat them with cane would be arrested and their private institutions would be closed.
“You are not allowed to beat a child. The law still doesn’t allow you. We know that sometimes they (students) bully you but it is against the law.
“Under the existing laws anyone who raises a hand to beat up a child should be arrested by the police. If it is a private school, it is even easier to close it as government schools are open,” he said.
In connection with the injury to a student of Graiman Education Centre, Magoha ordered the closure of the institution and directed that the students be admitted to public schools.
He further assured the parents that all the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates from the school will appear in their exams.
He said, ‘Our order is to close it and immediately take you to the government school. If it is an exam class and the boy is registered, we will ensure that he takes the exam,” he said.
The institution was closed after it emerged that it was not properly registered under the Ministry of Education.
After a brutal beating that grabbed the nation’s attention, a Class VII student suffered serious injuries to his kidneys as well as his body after he was accused of taking five chapatis instead of one.
According to Dr Nabil Varwani, treatment of infected wounds by a teacher requires extensive medical attention to the student. The doctor said that the victim has suffered ******** and kidney injuries too.
School administrator Nancy Gacheva and one of her 20-year-old students were arrested in connection with the incident.
