[PHOTO/Standard]
The recent squabbles at Jamhuri high school that left several students, some administrators injured and the school closed until the following Monday, is just one among many incidences of student harassment that happen in our schools.
A form two student having been slapped by a form four prefect and the administration allegedly failing to take any action after the issue is reported indicates that the administration was reluctant to do the right thing and seemingly home with the disciplinary action taken by the prefect.
Mere allegations from interacting with high school students and previous incidents taken on record confirm that some school administrations have given other students authority to discipline fellow students to the extends of giving them corporal punishment.
Moreover, the existence of activities like being booked by prefects to be punished later in the day, collaborative corporal punishment from several student leaders, ethnic, religious and sexual discrimination is not new to many more students currently in secondary schools.
The Ministry of Education clearly defines administrative space within which the leaders at school level can exercise their authority and roles in a non-discriminating way by going ahead to illegalize discriminating acts such as student harassment.
Discipline in schools is paramount and a conducive environment for better performance, however the right form of disciplinary action that is not discriminating and unlawful is the right way to go in administration of moral order lest more incidents of harassed students rising against fellows to advocate for the rights will cause disorder and damage in schools the more.