State House Girls High School, finds itself at the centre of a growing scandal involving allegations of financial malpractice and poor academic performance.
On Tuesday, parents staged a dramatic protest along State House Road, where they barricaded the busy lane in response to a directive by the school’s management mandating full payment of school fees.
The parents’ protest was sparked by the school’s decision to turn away students who had only paid partial fees, a move that was seen as a blatant form of extortion.
The school administration declared them “Persona non grata” until they settled outstanding balances and fulfil other requirements, including the purchase of printing materials and brooms.
The demonstration quickly gained traction, with parents from all over the city joining in to voice their frustrations.
They decried what they perceived as exorbitant prices for required materials.
“When I came, they told me I could not be allowed entry unless I have a rim paper. They told me to pay Ksh800, but when I checked at the supermarket, the price for the same commodity is between Ksh500 to Ksh600. It’s just not fair to ask parents to pay such inflated prices when they’re already struggling to make ends meet,” a parent lamented.
“The school wants Ksh26,000, I have paid half. They want me to pay another half. Where will I get it from? It’s not fair to put all this pressure on parents during these difficult times,” another parent expressed her dismay.
However, this seems to have been just the tip of the iceberg, as more and more parents gather the courage to speak out against the school’s questionable practices.
Writing to this blog on Wednesday, one parent criticized the school’s actions, calling it “a blatant form of extortion.”
“Everything you wrote about State House Girls is true. The school has become a money-minting machine,” the source said.
Despite milking parents dry, the school’s academic performance has reportedly been on a downward spiral, with the school moving from being a top performer to one of the worst in the area.
“Its performance is so poor, the administration is very highhanded and corrupt! With a population of over 1,500 students, education quality is one of the worst. A case where they can get an extra Ksh3,000 to Ksh4,000 thousand per parent would give them millions of shillings,” the source revealed.
The source also directly linked the ongoing extortion racket to the school’s principal, Evelyn Nabukwesi.
She is reportedly working in cahoots with her husband, a senior official in the Ministry of Education.
“The Headmistress is a spouse of a senior government official at Jogoo House” the source who sought anonymity alleged.
These disturbing allegations raise serious questions about the integrity and accountability of those in charge at State House Girls High School and call for a thorough investigation into the matter.
It is not only a violation of the trust placed in the school by parents and the community, but also a violation of the basic principles of transparency and accountability in public institutions.
This is a clear indication that something is deeply wrong and that immediate action must be taken to address the issues at hand.
One of our editors contacted the school’s management for comment, however, at the time of publishing, we had received no response.
All our calls to the Principal’s office went unanswered, yet she has openly been speaking to some pocketed sections of the media, blaming the parents for the standoff.
It is utterly unfortunate that the school principal would condemn parents for being uncooperative when it is clear that the school administration’s actions are the genesis of the problem.
Meanwhile, the parents and students – most from low-income backgrounds – have been left to deal with the consequences alone.
It is quite unfortunate that the welfare and education of our children is being compromised by greed and corruption.
The public has a right to know the truth, and those responsible should be held accountable for their actions.
