By Vincent Mabatuk
A sombre mood engulfed Kiamunyeki village in Nakuru County as another pupil committed suicide after being forced to repeat class.The 14-year-old boy ended his life by hanging himself using a sisal rope inside his parent’s two-bedroom house on Monday evening.The class six pupil at Rurii Primary school, Tony Muiya, according to his mother ended his life after he was forced to repeat by the class teacher after scoring 218 marks last year.The boy’s family said when school re-opened last week he refused to attend the classes fearing to be taken back to class six but after discussing it with his father he agreed to report to school on Thursday but never reached the school.His mother, Anne Makobe, in the company of two other boys, later traced him to a friend’s home.The three boys said they had decided to travel on foot to Nairobi where they were to transform as street boys.They told us that we were lucky because they had already left for Nairobi but returned to collect drinking water", said the mother.
With tears, the mother said a neighbour’s child had informed her that the boy had two sachets of rat poison but Tony had denied the claims. After intercepting him, the mother took him to school and pleaded with the deputy Head teacher to allow them see the Headmaster on Monday, which he accepted.She claimed that while queuing alongside other parents waiting for their turn to see the Headmaster, the class teacher pulled them out and asked her not to waste her time.The disturbed mother said the teacher told the boy to go back to his previous class or leave the school. Unhappy about the turn of events the boy after going home locked himself in his room and slept and that was the last time his parents saw him alive.His younger sister stumbled on his lifeless body as she came back from school in the evening.His father David Mwaniki blamed the death of his first-born son on the class teacher.
However, when contacted the Headmaster Samuel Karanja denied any orders directing the boy to repeat saying no pupil had been forced to repeat.
The distraught parents are now requesting for tough measures against teachers forcing children to repeat against their wishes and in contravention of a directive by Education Minister Sam Ongeri.
Source: The Standard Newspaper, 12th January 2012 http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000049791&catid=4&a=1
I have read this sad story and it breaks my heart. The competition and pressure put on our children to perform academically is uncalled for. If they do not 'excel' things like caning and humiliation of many forms like repeating class or total neglect from the parents are just but a few things they go through . Does anyone wonder what such things do to these kids?It waters down their self esteem, they walk around like second class citizens who deserve nothing and then life becomes meaningless and result to suicide cases in young children.
Something needs to change...we need to appreciate our kids and nurture their other talents outside class. Who said getting 450/500 guarantees you a better life? What happens to the top scorers when they go to secondary schools or even universities? Am sure most excel but the rest who have been forced to memorise answers, they can't cope? This competition needs to be toned down by you and me as parents. Our baby gal needs to grow knowing that yes education is important and its good to give it your best, but life does not stop when you do not perform academically. Have you had of successful people who dropped out of school and used their talent to grow their businesses?
Have you seen what else is happening in our Nation? Parents are venting their anger on head teachers for poor performance in the KCPE exams. Really what example are they to their kids and where were they when the kids were getting low marks?For real low marks are attained gradually don't you think? Have we handed our responsibility to teachers/schools? Some parents think that the child belongs to the teacher once they have paid the school fees and bought the uniforms..that's a fallacy..the child is your responsibility whether they excel in class or not. Lets take our positions in our society.
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