Machakos Boys sent home for teachers’ gift
Machakos boys students celebrating soon after the release of 2011 KCSE exams in March.Some of the students have been send home to get motivation money for their teachers Photo Wambua Kavila
Scores of students from Machakos Boys school have been sent home for failing to pay Sh2,500 "motivation fee". The money is to cater for a holiday for teachers to Mombasa as a way of motivating them to work harder and post better results.
However, parents yesterday protested over the fee saying it is an extra burden after paying school fees. They said teachers are paid by the government to do their work. "Does it mean that the teachers will not perform their duties effectively if they are not taken to Mombasa for a holiday?" asked a parent, who gave his name as Mulwa.
Although the school's board has approved the collection of the money, a majority of parents have not paid up resulting in their children being sent home over the past week to collect it. Calls to the school's principal Benson Masaku went unanswered as the students were seen loitering in Machakos town while others jammed cyber cafes to catch up on their facebook accounts.
Machakos School was the best performing boys school in the district in last years KCSE exam, even though its sister school Machakos Girls performed better overall. The teachers at Machakos girls usually visit Mombasa for holiday annually as an incentive to motivate them to work harder and produce good results. Over the years, Machakos Boys has been plagued by riots and indiscipline, which have been blamed for the dismal performance. However, in the last two years, they has been remarkable improvement despite the high turnover of principals.