A group of form 4 candidates stormed out their secondary school in eastern Kenya on Wednesday night, saying they were tired of studying.
About 80 students left the Matungulu Boys Secondary School compound, leaving only 36 behind.
“We are tired of studying. The principal has been too strict and has been denying us our rights. We prefer to stay at home and only come to do our examinations when the time comes,” said one candidate.
The school principal stated that the students were having discipline issues that were being dealt with.
According to local radio stations, the students claimed that the principal was too strict and they were tired of studying. They said they would prefer to return to school to sit for final examinations scheduled for 2021.
Among issues protested by the students are poor diet and withdrawal of weekly entertainment sessions by the school board. The principal however blamed on drug abuse as one of the reasons for the 'gross misconduct’ by students.
“Those who walked out of the school are suffering from ‘freestyle’ kind of living where they don’t want to adhere to basic regulations for conducive learning. We will remain firm and as a school, we will not entertain any indiscipline that threatens smooth learning,” said the principal Joseph Makau.
The principal said parents had been notified of the situation and have been requested to bring back the students. Learning resumed in October for final-year students after being closed due to Covid-19, while other classes will resume in January 2021.
The ministry of education directed administrators to reduce interaction between learners in boarding schools and people outside to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Some schools have reported coronavirus cases since reopening.
