Principals Accountable for Student Wrongdoings In Latest Transfer Guidelines.
According to the government, principals will be held accountable for the wrongdoings caused by students who have transferred from their schools.
In accordance with the government’s new Ministry of Education student transfer guidelines, previous principals will have covered the students prior to and during the transfers.
As a result, the state wants “all principals to give release letters to students seeking transfer to other schools, stating very clearly the students’ conduct” so that the state can hold the principals accountable.
“A principal who covers up a student’s conduct shall be held responsible for any subsequent problems,” the guidelines sent to all principals said.
The state has also granted principals two months to apply if their students want to transfer next year.
The state stated that “all transfer requests for the preceding year must be received by October 30th of the preceding year.”
“Except in exceptional circumstances, no transfer shall be carried out in the middle of the year.”
Only applications submitted using the government’s form will be considered for student transfer. Parents, principals, and state officials will all sign the form.
No student shall be admitted to a school unless accompanied by a transfer letter signed by the Sub County Directors of Education (SCDE), County Directors of Education (CDE), and Director of Secondary Education & Special Programs.
Students wishing to transfer within the sub-county must make certain that the
Transfers from one county to another will be authorized by the CDE.
“Students who want transfers from one region to another will be authorized by the CDE after the Regional Coordinator of Education (RCE) approves,” reads the guidelines.
Transfers from one national school to another will be authorized by the Director of Secondary Education and Special Programs.
“All principals must give release letters to students seeking transfer to other schools, stating very clearly the conduct of the students concerned,” the government said.
“A school that may have a vacancy or vacancies to admit more students shall issue a transfer letter signed by the principal to the student’s former school for the transfer process to begin,” the Ministry said.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu said the rules are justified to bring back sanity in schools.
“We call them silent rules, but many have overlooked them. They have been there though not followed,” Oyuu defended the State.
“It is good now that the state is making them legal to ensure they are followed.”
Oyuu stated that the new directives will streamline student transfers in the country to ensure the smooth operation of schools.
He urged parents to stop defending their children and instead collaborate with teachers to ensure that students grow into responsible leaders.
“Every parent argues that their children are correct. It is wrong, and we urge them to listen to teachers, and also spend time with their children to understand them,” Oyuu said.
“Parents must understand the characters of the children and explain this to the teachers. We are also parents, and our work is to shape students into future leaders.”
The directive comes after Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha stated that students will continue to attend school even if the presidential elections are challenged in court.
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“If the tallying of votes is supposed to, let’s say, take place at a secondary school, we want to urge the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to relocate the tallying centre to institutions of higher learning.
"This will avert the loss of more time in the academic calendar.”
Magoha made the remarks while commissioning CBC classrooms in Nairobi’s Makadara and Embakasi neighborhoods.
Principals Accountable for Student Wrongdoings In Latest Transfer Guidelines