ABSTRACT

Each year about 50 schools go on strike during the month of July, this year (2008) over 300 schools were on revolt during the second term. It is a tension filled month because of the mocks, schools running out of money and meals way below standard. Students have endured six months of what they consider ill treatment, incompetence and absenteeism of teachers, administrative corruption, poor maintenance of buildings and no one to listen to their normally reasonable complaints and suggestions. It is also the cold season in the highlands and students have little to keep themselves warm, physically and morally. The only way to attract attention they reason is by radical means: striking though rarely with arson until recently. Post-election violence could be a cause. Some student’s moral responsibility was totally killed during the ‘troubles’. They burnt houses; saw people running away, children falling from exhaustion, from hunger and thirst for water. They became immune to any feelings of humanity. They regarded their deeds as successful when they saw people being killed or maimed and property destroyed. The perpetrators of such deeds (who included students) were not reprimanded but were regarded as heroes, some students got an idea that in order to successful, one needed to disrupt and destroy systems. The study adopted a Descriptive research design. This enhanced the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the students’ participation and reinforcement of school rules in selected secondary schools in Rongo division,Rongo district. The method chosen allowed a collection of comprehensive and intensive data and provided an in-depth understanding of the topic under study.