NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 19 – Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich has urged President William Ruto to consider tougher measures to restore order in schools, including a return to corporal punishment for unruly students.
Rotich speaking in Nandi said Kenya is facing a moral crisis that has weakened parents, teachers and society as a whole.
The Governor praised the President for implementing reforms in education and development, but said the country now needs to address what he described as the “software” of society, values, discipline and morality.
“Your Excellency, Kenyans brought you so that you can do the things that others feared to do since 1963. You have built schools, employed teachers and expanded learning institutions. But we also need help with one software morals,” Rotich said.
Rotich argued that teachers no longer command the respect they once enjoyed and are increasingly powerless when dealing with indiscipline among learners.
“A teacher today walks around the school as if they have surrendered with their hands up. We have weakened the teacher. We have weakened the parent to the point where they are afraid of their own children,” he said.
Rotich recounted a recent visit to a school that had experienced multiple student strikes. According to him, some students openly complained about not having access to examination leakages, citing what he termed a worrying decline in values.
“I recently visited a school where students had gone on strike three times. They said they were unhappy because they did not have a little exam leakage. That shows how much discipline has gone down,” he said.
The governor called for a nationwide conversation involving parents, teachers and government leaders, saying the responsibility of raising disciplined children should not be left to the President alone.
“Let us tell parents that everyone must do their duty. A parent should guide their child and talk to their child. It should not be left to the President alone,” he stated.
Rotich stressed that Kenya should consider restoring tougher punishment in schools to deal with serious cases of indiscipline, including drug abuse.
“We want to restore respect for the teacher. Nowadays teachers are told to teach and go home. Even when a child is found smoking marijuana, they are simply warned. We want to return to the old days where there were consequences for indiscipline,” he said.
The governor pointed to neighboring Uganda as an example of a society that still embraces stricter forms of discipline.
“Why should we allow our schools and our morals to continue going down?” he posed.