At least ten new school principals recently appointed in Homa Bay and Siaya counties have been rejected by parents due to poor performance in their previous positions.
Parents at Ulumbi Mixed Secondary School in Gem Yala took to the streets to protest the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) decision to transfer the school principal and replace him with one from God Ber Secondary School in Homa Bay.
The new principal was due to succeed Mr. William Oyamo, who had led the institution for three years.
The parents expressed their concerns, citing previous situations in which the new principal was reportedly forced out of his last station, God Ber Secondary School, on suspicions of being a non-performer.
“Ulumbi Secondary School requires a performer who will instil discipline and work culture. If they hounded the incoming principal out from his former station, then certainly he is not the best for this institution,” said Mr Christopher Ouda, a parent at the institution.
His sentiments were echoed by Mr Christopher Omondi, who complained of the decline in the admission of Form one students.
“Previously the school would admit at least 200 Form One students, today as we speak, there are about 50 students who have joined the school in form one. What does that tell you?
There is a big problem that requires a good principal with a good track record to fix,” said Mr Omondi.
Last year, Ulumbi Secondary School had a mean score of 5.2, which is a negative deviation from the previous years.
Crisis meeting
Ms. Elizabeth Oduol, chair of the Board of Management (BOM), informed the media that a meeting would be called to find a solution.
“The board is assembling, and then we shall communicate with the TSC afterwards.” We do not want to rate teachers only on the number of “A” grades they produce; instead, we are concerned with the overall growth of students. “We will find a solution after the meeting,” Ms. Oduol stated.
Secondary school principals continue to suffer parental fury in Homa Bay for suspected mishandling of school resources and poor performance.
Parents in some county schools have staged protests to force the principals to resign.
The following are the results of the survey:
The latest school to be hit by the ongoing protest is Dr. Mbai Mixed Secondary School in Homa Bay Sub-County, where parents took to the streets on Monday to demand the transfer of the school principal.
During the two-hour demonstration, students were forced to abandon their morning classes.
Parents obstructed the principal’s entry to the office by blocking the school gate.
“She is mismanaging the school which has contributed to poor academic performance. She is also embezzling school development funds,” Ms Caren Odundo, a parent said.
The situation forced the principal to return home immediately after reaching the gate.
Parents petitioned the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to transfer the principal to another school.
The principal did not answer calls to respond to the claims.
Similar protests have been witnessed in other schools across the county.
Affected institutions include Got Kabok Secondary School in Rangwe where parents held a protest last week.
Others are St Stephen Kirindo mixed Secondary school in Mbita, Longo primary school and Osure primary school.
