School tragedies call for divine intervention

Arsonist attacks, mass killings of students by Al Shabaab, drowning of students in the Indian Ocean and the most recent being students having sex in broad day light in a bus and taking alcohol and bhang. These are some of the unfortunate happenings that have dogged the education sector in the recent past.

Have we in any way wronged God? I think it’s high time the country held a national prayer meeting to seek for forgiveness from Him. Maybe through this, the education sector will be set free from all these misfortunes.

Second worst terrorist attack in Kenya

On 2^nd April this year gunmen stormed the Garissa University College at 5am when the students were attending their morning preps and others were sleeping in their dormitories. The terrorists put the college under siege for almost 9 hours. Some of the survivors of Kenya’s second worst terrorist attack after the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Kenya said that the gunmen set free Muslim students and murdered Christians. Kenya lost at least 147 young brains in the horrific attack. Various security agencies were faulted for response delays to counter the terrorists. 

Losing such a big number of students is a tragedy to any nation. It robs a country of its potential creative innovators and entrepreneurs. It hacks the country’s economy because the youth are the main anchors of economic growth. They contribute towards a large percentage of employees both in the formal and informal sector. This attack once again reminded the country that probably we needed to seek God’s forgiveness for our wrong doings. Did we seek His holy hand to prevent more tragedies that could befall the education sector? No.

Stephjoy fire tragedy

On 3^rd August 2015, arsonists struck Stephjoy Boys High School in Kiambu County, setting a dormitory on fire. Three students died following the incident which is believed to have been orchestrated by students from the same school.

Why would a group of students decide to set a dormitory on fire while their colleagues who they play, chat and eat together with are sleeping? Methinks the devil was manifesting his powers through the arsonists. This again is an unfortunate tragedy that should bring all Kenyans together to pray so that we may overcome such evil, lest we fall prey again before we recover from it.

This is not the only fire incident to have rocked a learning institution Kenya. In August 2012, 8 pupils of Asumbi Girls Boarding Primary School in Homa Bay County died after a fire destroyed their dormitory. The young girls were burnt beyond recognition in a fire believed to have been caused by an electricity fault.In March 2001, 58 students from Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos County were burnt to death after fire razed their dormitory. 28 others were seriously injured. The fire was believed to have started in the early hours at the main boys’ dormitory of the mixed school.

Students found abusing drugs and having sex

Just five days ago, the country was treated to a shocking incident where 35 high school students were caught red handed smoking bhang, drinking alcohol and having sex in a bus- at day time! It was the villagers in Karatina who blew the whistle when they witnessed what can be well described as happenings in a ‘horror movie’. The students, through messages christened on the bus they were riding on claimed that they were having fun, and that they should not be interrupted.

This is what can be called the epitome of moral decadence in a society. Public indecency in the name of having fun is totally unacceptable. To make it worse, students presumably in their teens were involved. It gave the country a clear picture of what the future generation will look like- something intriguing and embarrassing. We should be very afraid. So who is to blame for such immoral behaviour of students? Parents? Teachers? Well, both of them have roles to play in the upbringing of the student.

Our education system demands that the student spends most of his or her time at school. Both parents and teachers therefore contribute towards moulding morally upright students who can uphold the demands of the society by exhibiting discipline and high moral standards.

Seven pupils drown in the Indian Ocean

On 12^th August 2015, another tragedy visited St. Martin Primary School, Kahuro in Murang’a County. Seven pupils from the school drowned in the Indian Ocean, at Pavilion Beach. The pupils were on a tour at the coastal beach when furious tides swept them, leaving them lifeless.

The church and our leaders should call for a national prayer day to ask the all mighty God to help us overcome future tragedies that may take away innocent lives and interfere with learning in our schools. With this the enemy will be defeated, I believe.