Photo of children waiting outside school gate at 5am causes uproar

The conversation about the official reporting time for both public and private schools in the country has once again grabbed public attention.

This comes after a photo of young children seen waiting outside their school for the gate to be opened at 5:30am caused a stir on social media.

The blurry photo was posted by Twitter user ‘Moseax’ who stated that the 6 kids were allegedly pupils of St. Paul Kabuku in Limuru and that the watchman was asleep at the time; Citizen Digital cannot however independently confirm this.

Moseax, who tagged Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha in the post, urged the government to communicate and crack down on the opening time for schools so as not to to subject kids to unnecessary suffering in the early morning cold.

Kenyans have since taken to the comment section to share their opinions, with a section of them slamming the government while a larger group blaming parents for allowing their kids to leave the house that early.

https://twitter.com/MoseaxKenya/status/1149167553522147328?s=19

Here I blame the parents, why torture your lil one like this

— Bigg Poppa (@chegewagithinji) July 11, 2019

Address that issue to that school not magoha

— Victor Vidija (@vidijah) July 11, 2019

I blame the parents. Why would I allow My kids out of My House at that time?
Mine go to school at 7:40am & still perform better than the early birds.

— Fredrick Horrace (@jhorraceo) July 11, 2019

i doubt it is the watchman…ongea na wazazi 5:30am is too early for those lil ones

— gideon Spencer (@gideondinho) July 11, 2019

https://twitter.com/kateakinyiab/status/1149193421728505857

The issue of official reporting time in schools has been an emotive issue in the country ever since photos of kindergarten kids being picked up from various neighbourhoods in Nairobi and its environs as early as 4am went viral.

The government – in July last year – directed all primary and secondary schools to adhere to the official operating hours for all day public or private institutions.

According to then Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, the Basic Education Regulations of 2015 provides the period between 8:00am to 3:30pm to be for class hours where actual teaching and learning takes place.

The CS made the remarks when she submitted a report of student discipline and unrest in secondary schools to the Committee on Education and Research of the National Assembly on July 31, 2018.

She said any arrangement where learners have classes before 8:00am or after 3:30pm is banned.

Ms. Mohamed told the committee that investigations had revealed that some schools forced students to attend classes as early as 5:30am and long after 5:00pm.

She said the tight school programmes led to a lot of frustration among learners as it did not provide time for them to think or play.

“Even as we maintain standards, we must not overstretch our children,” she said, noting that learners in rural schools faced ever day danger when they were forced to be in school earlier than usual.