Uproar As Girls’ School Invites Only Fathers To Academic Day
A girls’ secondary school in Baringo County is on the spot for inviting only fathers and male guardians of Form Three students to a Saturday academic day.
Only male parents were indeed invited to attend the forum, according to a message sent to parents of Kapropita Girls High School in Baringo Central.
“Hello parents and guardians, you are reminded of the academic day scheduled on June 11, 2022. As it was earlier indicated, only fathers are expected without fail.
“The consultation between the subject teachers, fathers and their daughters will begin at 9am. Be punctual.” Reads the message obtained by Nation.
Some parents and locals were outraged by the message, claiming that the school was insensitive to students who, for various reasons, do not have fathers.
They claimed that school administrators should be humane and sensitive to girls who are orphans or children of single mothers, led by human rights activist Isaiah Biwott.
“This is insensitive and it is causing a lot of embarrassment to such students. The school should stop discrimination in school.”
Human rights defender, Godfrey Kipsoi, stated, that no such regulations exist from the Ministry of Education calling the school to consider alternative mechanisms for putting their desired idea into action.
Ben Kulei also chastised the school administration, claiming that this should not have happened in an era when many children do not know who their fathers are.
Locals said the school administrators are oblivious to the pain they are causing single parents and orphaned students, and that the decision was ill-advised.
When contacted for comment, Kapropita Girls Principal Jeniffer Kiprono stated that the goal was genuine and that parents and locals should not misinterpret it.
She stated that the school wishes to include father figures in the lives of its students as part of its psychosocial support approach to learning.
The intention of involving parents in academic issues according to the principal was very pure, and people should stop exaggerating it.
She said those students who do not have fathers have male guardians such as uncles, brothers, and others.
“When schools were closed due to the outbreak of Covid-19, many cases of teenage pregnancies were reported in the country, with the majority being school-going girls.” When we have a father figure to guide them, such vices could be mitigated. ” She said.
She added that a similar meeting for Form Fours took place a month ago, with only mothers present, “and no one complained.”
“We fail to understand why this is sparking uproar when we have very good intentions for our girls,” Ms Kiprono said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said in his Madaraka Day speech that the 2019 national census revealed that the Kenyan family was changing, with single-parent families increasing from 25.1 percent in 2009 to 38.2 percent in 2019.
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The trend, according to the President, is a threat to Kenya’s traditional values and the family as the fundamental unit of society.
If left unchecked, the head of state emphasized this trend will destroy Kenya’s fundamental character and cause untold harm to the most vulnerable citizens.
Uproar As Girls’ School Invites Only Fathers To Academic Day