Ministry of Education to review regulations after Butere Girls' play incident
He further stated that the Ministry had decided to review the rules and regulations governing the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival to ensure strict compliance and to prevent a repeat of similar incidents in the future.
Basic Education Permanent Secretary Julius Bitok has provided clarification regarding the incident in Nakuru involving Butere Girls High School and their play titled Echoes of War.
In a statement, the PS explained that the Ministry of Education would first conduct a thorough review of the events leading up to today’s incident involving the Butere Girls' play and take the necessary action.
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He further stated that the Ministry had decided to review the rules and regulations governing the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival to ensure strict compliance and to prevent a repeat of similar incidents in the future.
“Existing rules forbid the involvement of non-teaching staff, unregistered teachers, or individuals from outside registered educational institutions,” the statement read.
At the same time, the PS clarified that no disciplinary action has yet been taken against the Butere principal or the school’s Board of Management. “Such action will be determined following investigations,” he added.
He also stated that the annual event proceeded as scheduled despite the earlier disruption that had affected the activities.
The play, which had been scheduled to be performed as part of the ongoing National Drama and Music Festivals in Nakuru County, failed to take place as planned after its actors staged a boycott on Thursday morning. This came after they were allegedly harassed by police in a suspected attempt by the state to prevent the play's message from reaching the public.
The police, in their effort to prevent former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala from accessing the students for their final rehearsals, ended up teargassing both students and journalists, actions which have been widely condemned across the country.
“Matters of education should not be dragged into politics. Our parents and the government have a duty to teach our children properly and to separate politics from education,” said Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
He also condemned politicians for using innocent students to settle political scores.
“Let us draw a firm line between politics and education. Let us spare our innocent schoolchildren from this. We must not allow political competition to interfere with education. I assure parents and the nation that we will not tolerate interference with education,” he added.
The CS questioned how a politician was allowed to write the play’s script for students, given that teachers are bound by the national syllabus, which an outsider may not follow.
He called on school leadership to allow teachers to carry out their duties professionally.
“Teachers will stick to the language that is acceptable and teach children in the right ways, unlike politicians,” he stated.
Murkomen also stated that anyone arrested in relation to the incident would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“The arrested individual should be subjected to the law and produced in court within 24 hours, and if the investigation is ongoing, they should be granted bail as per the law,” he said.
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