School heads have been called out for enrolling excess students over their appetite for money. According to Dr. Mukundi, Keyan schools are running wild ignoring admission rules on student capacity.
During an exclusive interview on TV47 Daily Report with George Maringa, education expert Dr. John Mukundi called out schools for taking in excess students.
READ ALSO: Do you want the latest iPhone?: Apple unveils iPhone 16
His comments come as the nation mourns the loss of 21 pupils taken by the Hillside Academy Endarasha fire strategy.
What was notable from the tragedy is that the dormitory in question was housing 156 boys which many question why it had that many pupils.
READ ALSO: Mufasa; Lion King voice actor James Earl Jones passed on
Dr. John Mukundi a director at Royal Fanaka Academies called out the economic motivations that push schools to overcrowd their schools.
According to him, most boarding schools hold capacities beyond what they are qualified to hold and cater for at a time.
READ ALSO: ‘I have not been detained in the UK, it’s fake news’ – Governor Wavinya Ndeti
Dr. Mukundi: They took 5 hours to respond to the Hillside fire
Additionally, Dr. Mukundi also called out the response time it took firefighters to respond to a fire at Hillside Academy Endarasha.
According to him, five hours was just too long and unacceptable to have a fire response team respond to a fire incident.
READ ALSO: Headteacher hit by track and dies on the spot on his first day of work
“If they had reduced it to 30 or 15 minutes, it would have been better. The five hours brought a lot of disaster and amplified the situation,” he stated.
Notably, he also put to task the proximity of key strategic resources to essential institutions like schools at the county level.
READ ALSO: University Student Leaders Call Off Planned Demonstrations, Urge for Dialogue
During his interview, he stated that the county governments were responsible for ensuring certain resources were housed within schools in readiness for calamities.
READ ALSO: Kenya’s Electric Mobility Sub-Sector elects new leadership to drive local manufacturing
Policies with no implementation
During his sessions, Dr. Mukundi highlighted that tragedies do not just require the writing of policies but readiness for their implementation too.
“It has to do with not only writing policies down but implementing them. If we have a strict Cabinet Secretary that will tell us ‘this is the way to go’ I believe it will definitely happen.” he stated.
READ ALSO: How angry Kibra youth chased away Lang’ata MP Jalang’o [Video]
Consequently, the Safety Act Education Act (Cap 211) stipulates safety measures to be followed by schools to ensure learner safety.
As investigations continue, with the Hillside Academy dormitory holding 156 pupils, it is unclear if it violated the recommended safety guidelines.
READ ALSO: Tsavorite: The rare green gemstone capturing hearts across the globe
