The Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to school employees in Trans Nzoia county against harassing students.

This follows an incident where three Form One students at St Monica Girls School escaped with deep burns after a cook poured hot water on them.

One of the students sustained serious injuries, necessitating her admission to Kiminini Cottage Hospital.  The other two sustained mild injuries and were treated and discharged.

Last Saturday, Trans Nzoia County director of education Luke Chebet said the Ministry was taking appropriate action. “Upon receiving a report on the incident, my office instructed the school’s Board of Management (BOM) to convene an urgent meeting. The same was done and one of the resolutions was summarily dismissal of the cook,” revealed Chebet.

He told school heads and boards of management to be extra careful when recruiting members of staff, especially those within the unskilled category, to avoid endangering the lives of learners.

“The ministry will institute disciplinary action against heads of public schools where staff commit criminal offences against learners,” he cautioned.

He also warned school heads against overburdening parents with unlawful levies.

“My office has received complaints by parents across the county about their children being sent home for extra money,” said Chebet. The official cited money for CBC and motivation as some of the illegal collections done by some schools, despite the hard economic times.

“Some heads have gone to the extent of advising parents to pay using items such as chicken,” noted Chebet.                               – KNA