Parents of one school in Ndhiwa Homa bay have demanded that a teacher whom they send pupils to buy him chang’aa during classroom hours sacked.
Teachers and parents of the school, in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay, said that the head teacher has developed an addiction to alcohol to the point that “he remains immobile unless he ‘unlocks for duty’ with a pint of chang’aa.”
What, however, seemed to annoy the parents most were reports that the teacher sends his pupils to illicit brew dens in the village to get him the drink. Sometimes on credit.
“We gather that he often drinks it in the presence of pupils who brought him the drink,” said Jane Anyango a parent.
Some pupils have come to live with it and often joke that “he’s not as potent without tasting his waters.” The cheeky ones even nicknamed him ‘Mr. Energiser.’
Last week, parents staged demonstrations in the school to demand his transfer.
The parents now tie teacher’s perennial tipsiness to poor academic performance of the school in subsequent Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams.
Some parents accuse the teacher of arbitrarily felling trees in the school to sell so that he gets money for buying.
“He sells timber to get chang’aa money,” said Javan Tolo a parent, “and when the money for timber is out, he orders children to gather fire wood around the school which eventually ends up at Mama Pima’s stove.”
Homa Bay County Director of Education Fredrick Muturi said they are investigating the allegations leveled against teacher.
The head teacher is, however, remains obstianate saying that only his employer, the Teachers Service Commission, has a say over him.