Parents protest against headmistress

protesting over alleged misappropriation of funds by the headmistress.
Pupils also joined the protest by hundreds of parents who accused the headmistress, Ms Pauline Ntini, of misappropriating school funds.
She is also accused of running down the school.
Ms Ntini could not be reached for comment as she spent the day locked up in meetings with Ministry of Education officials.
The parents declared their children would only resume lessons after the headmistress leaves the school.
The school has more than 1 000 pupils.
Even the intervention of inspectors from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture failed to ease tension at the school.
The parents allegedly tried to manhandle the headmistress, but police quelled the situation.
Teachers could be seen milling in the school yard while parents sang and denounced Ms Ntini, who had locked herself in her office.
School toilets are not working and pupils are using the playground and nearby houses.
School Development Association vice chairman Ms Nadine Macheva said apart from embezzling school funds, the headmistress was denying the SDA committee access to the school financial records.
She accused the headmistress of withdrawing school money with members of the old SDA committee.
“We took over this year from the old SDA and Ms Ntini is denying us access to the school account. Members from this old executive are still signatories to the school account and they are withdrawing the money will-nilly.
“Moreover, she has fired all the caretakers and that’s the reason why you see students using the playground and some even go outside at nearby homes to help themselves. Remember these are primary schoolchildren who need to be guided health-wise and I think if it continues like this the next thing is a cholera outbreak,” she said.
She said parents were asked to pay US$12 for computers for the past three terms, but the 24 computers, which Ms Ntini claimed to have bought cash, were actually acquired on credit and were later repossessed by the seller.
“The whole set of computers was taken by the sellers as it emerged that nothing had been paid. Even the school flag is missing.”
She said teachers were not being given incentives as agreed in a meeting with parents.
Parents had now resorted to paying teachers directly for the benefit of their children.
A ministry official who identified himself as Mr Kagoro unsuccessfully tried to pacify the parents so that lessons could resume.
Mr Kagoro referred all questions to the district education officer.
“We are meeting with the school head to solve the situation but I am not the one who should answer the questions,” he said.
Parents said they were fed up with Ms Ntini. They said they were no longer paying school fees to the school administration but were paying incentives to teachers.
“We are now paying the teachers who teach our children and we are not receipted for that, can you imagine,” said one parent.
Teachers at the school also said they wanted Ms Ntini out.
“She runs the school like her own property,” said one teacher who requested anonymity.