We would think that just like churches, schools are generally considered as respected areas since these are where children's minds are honed to be productive members of society. However, in Kenya, educational institutions are being burned down, triggering fear and confusion among officials.
Principals of Roman Catholic schools in the African nation recently gathered in a conference in Nairobi to discuss how to come to terms with the unprecedented number of school buildings and dormitories that have already fallen prey to arson.
According to a report on the Radio Vatican website, the administrators of the Catholic schools believe that some radicalised vulnerable children are behind the burning incidents. Some non-teaching staff members also reportedly helped the children carry out the crime to further frustrate the school principals.
During the conference, Bishop Anthony Muheria of the Kenyan town of Kitui told the Roman Catholic school administrators that while the investigations on these cases of arson are still ongoing, they should also seek to further enlighten today's youth.
Bishop Muheria said schools in Kenya need to instill solid moral values among students now more than ever. He also urged them to further motivate the youth to get involved in community service.
In a separate report by BBC, it is said that more than 100 government secondary schools have been set on fire this year alone. This left over 6,000 Kenyan students without school buildings to go to.
The British news agency also reported that some of the school buildings were burned down by some students themselves who wanted a holiday due to heavy workload given to them by teachers.
Some parents, however, said this is not enough reason to raze a school. Moses Ongesa Ombari, whose child goes to Tabaka High School in Kenya, for instance said it is just "silly" to commit arson because of this reason.
"The idea that this is a protest against a high work load and a lack of holidays is silly because they come to school to learn," Ombari told BBC.
