Global Journal of Management and Business Research, A: Administration and Management, Volume 22 Issue 4

started to cater for students with social, personal, psychological, educational and vocational problems. III. T he C oncept of I ndiscipline in S chools According to Education Act Cap 212 of the Laws of Kenya, corporal punishment was used as a way of dealing with indiscipline in schools. In this act, corporal punishment was inflicted only after a full inquiry on the offender and offence had been made and was administered by the principal or teacher to whom it had been delegated by the principal. It was not to be inflicted in the presence of other students. A record of every corporal punishment administered was to be properly documented showing the name and age of the student, the offence committed, the number of strokes inflicted and by whom. This kind of punishment, as a way of maintaining discipline became unpopular and at times caused riots and therefore it was outlawed in April 25th 2001 by the government of Kenya. In Kenya, many secondary schools in the past have been involved in strikes that have led to mass destruction of property worth millions of shillings. Meru County, for example, had secondary school students going on strike. In (1991), it witnessed the most shocking, senseless and ghastly incident at St. Kizito Mixed Secondary School where tragedy resulted into the death of nineteen (19) girls, seventy one (71) rape cases and four (4) boys being jailed for manslaughter as was reported by Mwokia, (2004) and Mwenda (2005). It was an incident that primarily involved students both as the assailants and as the victims as noted by Daddeya, et al. (2006). From the Kenya Television Network facts on file of 18th October (2021), it was reported that violent practices such as burning of dormitories, drug abuse and rape by students is not a new phenomena in Kenya. According to Farsur Hassan (2019), failure to comply with safety standards, collapse of guidance and counselling programs and increased permissiveness by society are some of the top reasons stakeholders in education have blamed for the perennial unrest in schools that has caused massive loss of property. The reasons given for current disturbances and students' grievances are not entirely new but have not been fixed despite having been flagged in the past. As observed by Moenga (2021), whereas exam phobia has been associated with students' unrest in the past, the only new factor is the congestion in schools, which has been witnessed since the government introduced the 100 percent transition from primary schools but failed to expand the infrastructure. According to the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association and the Kenya Union for Post- Primary Education Teachers, the congestion has made it harder for teachers to enforce discipline amid stiff competition for resources. However, the principal secretary for Basic Education Julius Jwan (2021) sees it as bigger societal problem. "The student unrest could be symptomatic of challenges in and out the school system. Education is not doomed but we must re- examine the place of boarding schools as observed by Malovah (2018). The public is also contributing to learners' behavior. How are students expected to resolve issues amicably when they see adults resorting to violence?" he said in response to a Nation reader's question. IV. R eport of N ational A ssembly C ommittee The latest is the Report on the Inquiry into the Wave of Students' Unrest in Secondary Schools in Kenya in Term II, (2021). The document was prepared by the Education and Research Committee of the National Assembly that was chaired by Julius Melly. According to that parliamentary report that was tabled in September (2021), causes of students' indiscipline include limited professional Guidance and Counselling in schools, increased permissiveness and a Laisseiz- faire approach in the society, failure to address indiscipline among transferred learners, exam stress, promises of exam leakage and a long second term. The committee also identified lack of communication between parents, teachers and learners, over strictness at home and school, and lack of proper training of school managers. Most secondary school students are at the adolescent stage of development. Makinde (2016: p.17) states that adolescence is a delicate period when boys and girls are faced with special needs and problems. When the needs of this age are not adequately provided for, problems of indecision, uncertainty; ambiguity, conflicts, instability, unpredictability perhaps leading to delinquency, alcoholism, career muddle and hindered heterosexuality may surface. As Makinde stated, Principals’ Attitudes on Guidance and Counselling Services and Maintenance of Discipline in Secondary Schools of Nyamira County, Kenya 16 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue IV Version I Year 2022 ( ) A © 2022 Global Journals A handbook for school guidance and counselling providers was produced in (1971) and revised later in (1973) following the inception of guidance and counselling unit in the Ministry of Education. In the handbook, school principals’ responsibilities in the provision of guidance and counselling services were enumerated and they were, according to the handbook, required to select competent and committed teacher – counsellors and establish guidance committees to organize and co- ordinate the services in their respective schools, provide time and facilities needed for the service and precisely define areas of responsibility for teacher – counsellors. As noted by Lytton, (2018), students with personal problems can be a severe problem to the school management and can have a disruptive effect on other children. With this in mind, principals cannot afford to ignore guidance and counselling in their schools.