No fewer than 80 final year students of a secondary school in eastern Kenya have left the school in a day over claims that the principal, Joseph Makau, was too strict.
The students also told local media that they were tired of studying.
They also raised concerns over the poor diet offered at the school and the recent withdrawal of entertainment sessions that ran on a weekly basis.
Local media also reported that the incident left only 36 final year students in Matungulu Boys Secondary School compound.
The students, who had earlier boycotted meals during the day, were said to have walked out of the school on Wednesday evening, without staging any form of a riot.
Makau said some of the students had been undergoing counselling due to the use of hard drugs before the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those who walked out of the school are suffering from ‘freestyle’ kind of living where they don’t want to adhere to basic regulations for conducive learning. We will remain firm and as a school, we will not entertain any indiscipline that threatens smooth learning,” he said.
Some of the students told local radio stations that the principal was too strict and they were tired of studying. They said they would prefer to come back just to sit for their final examinations scheduled for next year.
The principal said parents had been informed and asked to bring back the students.
Schools reopened in October for final-year students after being closed because of coronavirus, while other classes will resume in January.
The ministry of education advised administrators to minimise interaction between students in boarding schools and people outside to prevent the spread of coronavirus.