• How many tragedies will it take before something is done?
A couple of weeks ago, as I was watching the days get shorter, thinking “school’s about to start.”
I thought about the stress my family in Kenya was going through as the kids also returned to school after the short August break. I thought about all the parents in the country scrambling to make tuition payments. Some probably use up all their August pay to afford tuition.
Then, clear as day, an old memory came to me…
I had been employed at my first job for a few months and had finally saved up enough to move on my own. As I stood in line at the bank to pay my rent one fateful month (possibly January), I remembered watching the young pretty woman in front of me clutching a cheque that she was waving carelessly. I managed to read out the details on the piece of paper. The cheque was addressed to some preparatory school and was valued at more than Sh70,000!
Not to give my age away but this was a little over 12 years ago! Even in that day and age, I found myself bamboozled at the thought of paying tuition for a little kid that was twice my starting salary! My first thought was, how much do people make in order to afford such lifestyles? And secondly, did we really need education that costs as much as university fees for little tots and kids?
I wondered how the parents are faring today as they prepared to send their kids back to school. I found myself taking a deep dive into the Kenyan school system. Nobody ever asks the schools what their agenda is in increasing tuition. Who audits them? Why is there not a regulatory board that ensures a fair payment system for all? Must we pay the iron price for our kids to study in private schools?
I live in a country where private schools are the norm for the upper class. Everyone else goes to public school, which is free as it is covered by the heavy taxation we receive in our monthly earnings. The only tuition that is paid is for kindergarten because school attendance for children six and under is not mandatory. We pay half and the government contributes the other half. Meanwhile, someone in Kenya is paying Sh100,000 in tuition for a toddler who can’t speak!
Every parent wants the best for their kid. It’s fine if one can afford it but what does that say for the people who can’t? “You are just not good enough to afford our level of education?” Is that a fair system? And one might finally wrap their heads around the sacrifices that come with having children, that most parents would break their backs if they could give their kids a good education. They go to sleep content with their sacrifices and assured of their kids safety at school, only to be woken up by harrowing phone calls.
Kenya is not the only country that has boarding schools, yet we are the only country with such a tragic history of school fires. Why? Why aren’t schools safe? Why aren’t active measures being taken to stop boarding school fires? How many tragedies must we face as a country until something is done?
Schools are not just institutions of learning, they are the second home that parents choose for their children. Among other things that they consider before taking their kids to schools, parents consider the safety of the school. Their rules, their regulations, their staff, their preparedness… These are some of the things that allow parents to rest easy, knowing that their children are protected in a safe environment.
If parents can do the very best for their children to go to school, why can’t the schools do their very best to protect their students? Why can’t the government control these schools so that they are always doing their best? How many incidents will it take until someone does something about it?