Open Letter to Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i Goes Viral

KENYA: A concerned parent, Sam Gichuru, posted an open letter to Kenya's Education Cs Fred Matiang'i on his Facebook account requesting him to allow all children across the country to wear home cloths i.e trousers, jeans etc to school during this season.

The letter which was shared widely has generated debate with some pushing for the idea while those against it saying the current pupils are going through what everyone else passed through when growing up.

Mr Gichuri also addressed First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, asked them not to allow Kenya to be losing its children to “pneumonia because of preventable things like school uniform.”

Below is the letter;

Dear CS Matiangi,

It's 14 degrees today, this is how our sons are going to school.

I have a pair of jeans, a sweater, leather jacket, scarf and a cup of tea on my desk every 30 minutes in a warm office, with real windows and I'm still struggling with the cold.

Most primary schools in Kenyan have no windows, most kids have torn shorts and no socks or shoe's. It's unreasonable for us to expect kids to concentrate in class, we are exposing them to all kinds of respiratory infections and other medical conditions.

Let me add for my fellow middle class, not all kids get picked by a school bus or driven by parents or Uber to school, over 80% of them walk more than 1Km to school in this weather.

Please, my good friend, I beg, issue a statement to allow all children across the country to wear home cloths i.e trousers, jeans etc to school during this season. We cannot have a debate about "uniforms create equality" during this season because the alternative is pneumonia.

Madam first lady, I appeal to you as well, I am a big supporter of beyond zero campaign, we also need to go beyond 5, 7 and 10 as well, we can't be losing our children to pneumonia because of preventable things like school uniform.

Please, share this widely, if you have a child in primary school you care for and let's change this colonial culture of shorts during the cold season.

From a Dad.

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The CS could not be reached for comment but opinion was divided among respondents whether it was a good idea to allow children to wear clothes to school as suggested by Mr Gichuri.