Western Regional Director of Education Stephen Barongo has urged Education officers and school heads to work closely with the Interior Ministry with a view to improve the education standards in the region.
Speaking during a stakeholder’s forum at Kisoko girls High School in Nambale Sub County on Wednesday, Barongo said that if they engage in team work, they cannot go wrong.
“Where we have succeeded to deliver 100% on the school desk project the Ministry of interior has come in and given us a very big push,” he said.
He further urged the security team and education officials to embrace the multi-agency synergy in ensuring that all students get back to school making sure that they are taken good care of and protected from contracting Covid-19.
“The issue of social distancing is a bit challenging but we can ensure that they strictly adhere to hand washing and wearing face masks while in schools,’ he said.
The officer stated that no case of Covid-19 has been reported in the region since the schools reopened in January.
“We should also prevent school property from getting spoiled by the students,” he said adding that teachers should be patient as they gradually offer psycho social support to learners.
Barongo further urged the Principals to engage parents on the issue of school fees and lunch programmes and ensure that both parties play their roles instead of sending learners out of school.
He also reminded the school managers not to allow visitors in schools during the examination period.
“Make sure that as you cover the syllabus, the form fours are given special attention,” he said adding that teachers’ performance will be measured by school mean score.
Busia County Commissioner John Korir reiterated that Principals should be keen on the security of the schools and their learners.
Korir noted that society is so dynamic and called for change in the attitude of management by the school heads.
He urged the school managers to have connections with staff and student leaders so that manifestation of changes in behavior in some students can be detected early.
“If a Principal is well connected with his deputy and other staff, we will be able to know what is going to happen,” he said.
The officer at the same time to be a source of hope to students by being good mentors and role models.
Busia County Police Commander John Nyoike urged the Principals to take their roles seriously.
Nyoike stated that teachers should be able to solve issues without causing friction with the learners. “Some schools are like game parks where staff and students get scared when the Principal is around,” he said.
He added that Principals should conduct random inspection in the dormitories so that illegal items sneaked in by notorious students are detected early.
“You should also have a roll call so that those who are out of school at any moment can easily be established and suspects of arson can be traced,” he said.
The officer at the same time advised the school managers to ensure that all their support staff are vetted and have certificates of good conduct.
“Every visitor getting into your school needs to be inspected and a record of their details well-kept for tracing in case of any eventuality,” he said.
The forum brought together Western Region TSC Director Lilian Mwangi, Busia County Director of Education Thaddeus Awuor, County TSC Director Beatrice Ogwe, the County Security team, Sub County Education officers and 161 school Principals from across the County.
by Salome Alwanda
