There’s this touching story of a girl from a poor background in Turkana who scored over 367 marks in her KCPE and her parents couldn’t afford the school fees for her. The girl was called to join St. Brigids girls high school in kitale. Days went by and the opening day approaches but still the girl didn’t have an idea how she will join the school of her dreams.
Turkana people on social media started sharing the story about the girl and luckily a well wisher came by and the girl was admitted to St. Brigids with the school fees for the whole year was paid including shopping and other personal emoluments.
Out of excitement and disbelief coupled up with shock the girl couldn’t believe that she had finally joined the school she always dreamed of joining. The joy and happiness overwhelmed her and and four days after she had joined school she fell ill.
The school under the stewardship of the school principal took the girl and dumped her at Kiminini cottage where she was left alone for almost 3 days, the school then called the girl’s guardian and parents to come collect their child saying she was sick.
The girl’s guardian and her father came and found the girl alone by herself in a supposed medical room. The Kiminini cottage advised them to seek advanced medical intervention as the case was beyond Kiminini cottage.
They wrote a referral letter and the girl was taken to Eldoret hospital where she was diagnosed with *Brief psychotic episode* . Eldoret hospital treated her and certified the girl is well and recommended her to go back to school but to keep attending the check up sessions with them for a routine follow up.
When the girl came back to school, the principal refused to admit her back saying that the girl is mentally challenged, and so the girl should be taken out of the school. Remember this is a girl who has joined the school on well-wishers funds and mercy and the whole year fees paid.
The parent being poor and confused didn’t know what to do. He reached out to some of the well wishers who were on the girls case to come and intervene. When they came, the principal cited that the board has certified that the girl be taken out of school because she’s unfit to an extent she said that the decision of the board was final. Her being the Secretary of the same board started giving flimsy excuses that the Secretary had put it in minutes and there was nothing she could do to help.
So the parent and well wishers demanded that the school should issue a clearance letter to show that their kid has been checked out of school. The principal refused and said that the board decided so the matter is beyond her.
With the help of well-wishers, they went to the County Director of Education for an intervention and after some time the parent was told that they had found a school for their girl in st. Joseph cheterit Nandi girls, so they demanded a transfer letter and one to show that the girl is being referred there by St. Brigids.
The letter was written and given to the parent and after he left the education director office he was called back the following day to bring back the same letter to be scanned for online correspondence with the new school.
At that moment the parent was blatantly told that even the new school have changed their minds of admitting the child. The parent became more confused surely this a discrimination high order. The girl got more shocked as to what was happening to her.
It’s been over three weeks the parent and his child are stranded in kitale not knowing what to do. The country director of education office being of no help. The father of the girl said the following words “Am I being punished because am poor and my child doesn’t deserve to be in this school attended by the rich? Why then did they accept the school fees payment for the whole year? Where do they want me to take my child who has so much ahead of her and she’s our only hope?” The father said those words tears rolling down his cheeks.
The emotional wave hit the girl and she saw her world crumbling down before her own eyes and she said “I knew that this school was my ticket to be a Doctor in my country and helping my parents because I was going to work hard, go to university then get a better job to get my parents out of poverty, now this remains unattainable after being denied a chance to learn, what did I ever do to deserve this?”
This is a painful case for a girl from as poor background as this one. So many questions are going through the minds of many people especially those who struggled to get this girl to school.
Was her chance given to a rich parent and the sickness came in handy as the smokescreen to hide behind?
Why did the county director of education treat this matter so casually?
What motivated the principal to be adamant about re-admitting and instead taking the parent round in circles?
This is a serious case, and the girl is traumatized and remember these are the kinds of cases that could lead most of our children taking their own lives. Truth must be uncovered as to why St. Brigids girl principal isolated the girl.
