Alima Primary School (academy) in Masaba North sub county is on the spot for alleged expulsion of pupils seen to be slow learners.
According to reports, the pupils did not achieve the set pass mark.
The school, oblivious of the risks it was exposing itself to, had sent away ten Standard Seven pupils by Monday 21st June who are in their third term.
Alarm was raised by annoyed parents who reached out to the media to air their dissatisfaction with the school’s decision to send their children away, against the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) guidelines.
Lydiah Makori, whose son was affected in the expulsion, said that she was sent a text message from the school’s head informing her to look for an alternative school, since he did not ‘measure the last chance given to him.
The single mother of four and whose three children learn at the institution wondered why the management was unfair to his son even after he had repeated the class willingly to boost his marks.
“I sat with my son and agreed that he should repeat in class seven because his marks were low. To me, he has registered an improvement and I don’t think it’s fair he be forced by the school to repeat the class. This is against the law and it is disappointing the boy and other affected children,” said Lydiah.
When journalists arrived at the school Monday afternoon, Lydiah and many other parents were still stranded at the school gate with their children, having come to pick them according to the school’s directive through the text message.
A text message sent to parents seen by scholarmedia.africa read, “the boy never measured the last chance he was given. So we wish to inform you to look for an alternative school or to repeat.”
George Magiya, the proprietor of the school did not spare members of the press when they sought his opinion on the matter.
The visibly rude and arrogant man refused to have a chat with them in his office and instead chose to do it at the corner of the school compound under a tree.
He said he was not aware of whatever that was going on in his school and instead blamed his competitor in the business industry for witch hunt, ignorantly.
Mr. Magiya, a retired teacher asked for time to investigate the matter even after he watched parents walk out of the school compound with their children and their belongings.
When we reached out to the Nyamira County Director of Education (CDE) Ms. Margaret Mwirigi over the issue, she said, “the MoE banned repeating in schools and whoever is doing that is practicing an illegality.
Repeating should only be allowed if the pupil or students voluntarily agrees and should be in writing. Sending them away is now worse. The management must rectify the mess before its tool late. It’s illegal and the proprietor is inviting problems.”