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Irene Githinji and KNA

Majority of schools cannot install CCTV cameras owing to cost implications. Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Kahi Indimuli said it is very expensive to install the cameras and schools need support to implement the directive by the Ministry of Education.

Indimuli said that while CCTVs can be a deterrent measure, they cannot necessarily stop unruly students from  engaging in acts of indiscipline.

“The instructions from the Ministry of Education is that schools should install CCTVs but it is a challenge because the larger the school, the more expensive it is,” said Indimuli.

“Again, remember the children we are handling today are not stupid. They know where the cameras are and they will cover themselves completely with masks and hoodies and you can hardly recognise who it is,” Indimuli told People Daily in an interview yesterday.

He said schools should be supported to develop a control room away from the principals’ offices, where a full-time security official can monitor all activities in the school.  

“In our case, we found a central place to place a control room to monitor what is happening in the school and should there be a suspicious thing going on, they quickly alert us,” said Indimuli, who is the Machakos Boys Chief Principal.

Installing the CCTVs was part of the directives the Ministry of Education  gave to manage indiscipline in schools following a wave of unrest during the second term.

“Schools are urged to invest in technology to monitor school activities to help school administration identify trends and risks, which means installing CCTV in critical areas,” the Ministry directed last year.

As schools re-open, Indimuli urged parents to encourage their children to settle down and learn to avoid wasting time with cases of unrest.

“Let parents bring to school children who are ready to learn. You know we have a very strenuous calendar and we all know why. If the learners understand that the better,” he added.