MPs press Education Ministry for clear rules on student discipline
The National Assembly Education Committee says the Basic Education Bill, 2026, leaves schools without guidance on violent learners. Chair Julius Melly told PS John Ololtuaa on Tuesday that schools are "now ungovernable".
MPs want the Ministry of Education to spell out how schools can discipline unruly students. The National Assembly Education Committee says the proposed Basic Education Bill, 2026, is silent on serious misconduct. This includes learners who assault teachers or attack other students. The committee raised the issue on Tuesday during stakeholder hearings on the education reform bills. The State Department for Basic Education, led by Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa, appeared before the committee. Its chair, Tinderet MP Julius Melly, questioned Clause 19 of the bill. He said the clause protects learners from abuse and corporal punishment but gives schools little guidance on violent students. "Schools are now ungovernable," Melly said, according to The Star. He said teachers are unsafe because students can manhandle them while the law protects the student. He also pointed to cases of students burning fellow learners. He asked the ministry to develop "very clear regulations". Ololtuaa replied that the Education Cabinet Secretary is responsible for drafting those regulations. He said they would cover when a learner can be suspended. He added that subsections 2 and 3 of Clause 19 ban corporal punishment and any cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, whether physical or psychological. Council of Legal Education chairperson Collins Odote, who accompanied…
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