The founder of Utumishi Girls Senior School, Edward Mbugua, has called on the government to oust boarding schools while acknowledging failures that contributed to the deaths of 16 learners in the tragic fire at the institution.
Speaking during a requiem mass in Gilgil, the former Deputy Inspector General of Police urged the government to reconsider the boarding school model amid a rise in school fire incidents across the country.
“We should have day schools. Those dormitories can be converted to workshops for training,” Mbugua advised.
According to the founder, the Ministry of Education should focus on improving the quality and performance of day schools across the country to discourage parents from taking their children to schools far from home.
Mbugua also called on the government to reconsider the boys-only and girls-only school system, arguing that learners should be educated together.
“Even at home we don’t separate boys and girls. I recommend they be trained together,” Mbugua said.
The school founder did not mince his words while reflecting on the failures that led to the deaths of the 16 students.
“I am to blame for this tragedy. I started the school. The BoM is also to blame because they did not complain that they did not have enough facilities to accommodate the students,” he asserted.
