The Ministry of Education has been directed to develop clear guidelines on how to discipline students in schools amid concerns over rising cases of unrest, violence against teachers and attacks on fellow learners.

The National Assembly Education Committee has warned that existing provisions in the proposed Basic Education Bill, 2026, do not provide clear measures for dealing with students who engage in serious acts of indiscipline, leaving teachers struggling to maintain order and protect themselves.

The committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, raised the concerns during an ongoing engagement with stakeholders on seven proposed education reform Bills, where the State Department for Basic Education, led by Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa, presented its views.

Melly questioned Clause 19 of the Basic Education Bill, 2026, arguing that although it protects learners from punishment, it does not clearly state how schools should handle students who become violent and put the safety of others at risk.

He cited recent cases of unrest in schools across the country, warning that teachers were increasingly exposed to attacks without clear disciplinary measures to address such behaviour.

“Schools are now ungovernable. Teachers are very unsafe since students can wake up and manhandle a teacher, and they cannot do anything since the student is protected by the law. Some students are now even burning fellow students in schools. So, PS, the issue of student discipline is very important, and the Ministry must develop very clear regulations,” the Chairperson said.

In response, Ololtuaa told the committee that the Cabinet Secretary for Education needed to establish regulations covering different aspects of student discipline, including circumstances under which learners could be suspended.

“Clause 19, subsection 2 and 3 state that a learner should not be subjected to corporal punishment, torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of any manner, whether physical or psychological. So, on issues of discipline, the CS must be able to come up with regulations to capture all those aspects,” the PS said.

Council of Legal Education Chairperson Professor Collins Odote, who accompanied the PS, also supported calls for clear disciplinary regulations, saying the current system was not effective.

“On the issue of discipline, there must be a concession that what we have now is difficult. The current discipline mechanism is not working, and there is need to do more,” he said.

The committee also sought clarification from the State Department on plans to transform the School Equipment Production Unit (SEPU) into a Government Owned Enterprise (GOE) under the proposed Bill.

Legislators wanted to know how the Ministry would ensure schools continued accessing affordable learning materials once SEPU was placed outside its direct control.

Responding, Ololtuaa said the decision to move the unit was made through an Executive Order following a Cabinet meeting and that the directive had to be implemented.

Meanwhile, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), led by Acting Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei, also appeared before the committee to present its submissions on the proposed reforms.

The commission supported Clause 27 of the Basic Education Bill, which provides for the registration of basic education institutions. It argued that the provision would ensure that only schools with registered teachers receive registration certificates.

However, while presenting its views on the Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training Bill, 2026, Mitei and her team opposed provisions under Clauses 50–52, which cover savings, transitions and revocation.

The Commission particularly objected to the proposed conversion of Kibabii, Kagumo and Lugari Teachers Training Colleges into branches of the Kenya School of Education, arguing that the institutions should remain independent and continue training teachers.

“The Commission strongly objects to converting Kibabii. Kagumo and Lugari TTC’s as branches of the Kenya School of Education to offer conference facilities. The colleges should be left to independently continue training teachers in the new learning areas introduced by the CBE, so as not to deny the country adequate teaching resources,” Mitei said.

Other stakeholders who appeared before the committee included the Kenya Medical Training College, the National Treasury, the Ministry of Interior, the Kenya Institute of Special Education, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), among others.

The committee is scheduled to continue its engagement with stakeholders on Thursday, November 6, 2026.