By MN Reporter

The Chacha Moronge Secondary School board of management has called for more time to turn the school around.

The school’s board chairman Simon Marwa tod Migori News in a special interview that they have put in place plans that will turn around the institution which risks closure of teachers’ insecurity.

“We want to call on Teachers Service Commission to ignore calls to have the school closed, some of claims against us are not valid,” he said.

Earlier this month education stakeholders in Migori county ed by Kuppet demanded closure of the school over hostility.

The first principal of the institution is claimed to have heard his hands chopped off over insecurity in the schools.

With runaway insecurity, a poor image and results the school only has 65 student from form one to four.

“We call on government not to close down the school, we haven’t exhausted all avenues to make the school turnaround in security, enrolment and getting it back on foot,” Marwa said.

He said it was the school principal Joseph Owiti who refused to report to work for a month from January.

“We have adequate security in the school which shares the compound with other institutions, the community is also friendly and even the case where someone’s hand was chopped it happened in Sirare town far from the institution and it was long time ago,” he said.

Marwa said no community member was ever arrested or charged over the crime or other claims of insecurity.

“We are a small school and the bad image is what have been used by teachers who report here to quickly seek transfer and the ony way is bring out the issue of insecurity,” Marwa said.

Marwa said they have following plans to turn around the school:

• Reduce fee in the school which has never taken a student to university
• Have community donate foodstuff like maize to have a robust school feeding programme
• Sell the school outside the community to increase the number of students from current 65 to current 150 by next year.
• Have already formed committee to turn the school around led by other local leaders

“We have asked for patience, community members have refused to take their children to the school. The problem has been made worse by teachers who get posted here and seek any means of transfer over our bad image,” Marwa said.

Samuel Orwa, the (Kuppet) secretary for Migori county in a letter dated March 3 to the TSC one principal had his hands chopped off demanding all TSC staff transferred from the institution and it to be closed.

Orwa said the school is to be closed because of “an intolerant community and the school board of management that has clearly demonstrated their disliking of non-local teachers.“

 Migori county education officer Elizabeth Otieno said the school is a security concern and several attempts to arbitrate between the board, principals have failed.