15/06/2026
HOW TO COMPLETELY ERADICATE STRIKES IN SCHOOLS.
By MR Sam VIDAMBU.
1. Two mid term breaks in second term.
Why do most strikes happen in second term and not third term?
There is something about second term that has not been explored fully.
Currently, first term is 12 weeks, second term is 14 weeks and third term is 9 weeks.
If the ministry of education will initiate two mid term breaks in second term i.e one in early June and one in early July, it will reduce the unrest in schools.
Reducing the length of the term will not help much, putting two breaks in the term will.
2. Phone hours.
This goes for the parents.
There is nothing wrong with buying your child a phone, but have something called phone hours.
This is part of 'Vidambu's Parenting Formula'.
From 8AM to 9AM is house chores time.
From 9AM to 9:30AM is breakfast time.
Agree with them and say from 9:30AM to 1:30PM is study time, with breaks in between.
From 1:30PM to 2PM is lunch time.
From 2PM to 3PM is outdoor time to play football, basketball or ride bicycle.
3PM to 4PM is shower time and medication together with evening walk.
At 4PM you give them the phone to use to talk to their friends.
At exactly 9PM the child hands over the phone to the parent and they will access it the following day at 4PM, and the cycle continues.
This kind of an arrangement helps to bring a culture of discipline to a child.
They grow up responsible citizens knowing everything has limitations. The child of today is addicted to social media to an extent where they can not live without a phone. That is one of the reasons why they want to go home because of phone.
3. 'Principals Cup' every fortnight, on Saturday at 2pm and principals assembly every Saturday at 7:30AM.
I have seen this working miracles in many schools. Every Saturday at exactly 7:30AM, the students assemble in the dining hall to listen to their principal. No teacher is there, no deputy is there. Just the students and their principal. The principal speaks for 20 minutes then asks the school headboy/headgirl to come and present the students' requests to him.
The Principal listens keenly then gives his say about the requests and grievances.
On the second and forth Saturday of the month, there is a tournament called 'Principals Cup'.
This tournament has three teams. The students', the teachers' and the non-teaching-staff'.
On the second Saturday of the month e.g 14th of June, from 2PM to 4PM, the teachers' team will play versus non teaching staffs' team. If non teaching staff are few you can request the 'available' board members and PA members to join.
The best 11 players will then be selected to play versus the students' team on 28th of June from 2PM to 4PM.
Find a method of awarding and congratulating to bring competition.
If the first month was football, the second month will be basketball, the next month volleyball, then athletics, and the cycle continues.
You want a way of bringing teachers and students closer to you? Here it is.
4. Lessons end by 4pm and students go for recreation thereafter.
Schools have to relook at the school routine. Some schools don't even have time for games, washing clothes and taking shower.
Imagine lessons ending at 4pm then there are two remedial lessons from 4pm to 6pm.
When the students ask for time for recreation they are told 'Create time!'.
CBE curriculum dictates that lessons must end by 3:20PM.
Let us break boredom by giving students time to relax their brains in the evening. It is healthy.
5. Topical studies and topical assessment.
Too many exams with too little time for studies and preparation for those exams is among the reasons for unrest in schools.
Instead of giving the form fours a full exam to do from 6pm to 8pm then from 8pm to 10pm, why can't you go topical?
You give them time to study a particular topic then you exhaust all possible topical KCSE questions from that topic where students do it as Topical Assessment Test (TAT).
This is one of the strategies in 'Vidambu's Content Retention Programs'.
This will reduce a huge chunk of a subject into small topics which is manageable by the students.
It also helps the teacher to know which topics are a problem to the students.
6. Introduce visiting days the first Sunday of the month.
Students strike because they miss home. They miss home because they miss people at home.
I know you'll say, 'they are adults'.
A school is not a prison, but even prisoners miss their people.
During our time in school we had visiting days the first Sunday of the month between 11am and 1:30pm.
Parents could come with food, snacks, talk to their children then leave.
No student was allowed to eat food from another family.
Also, no student was allowed to go with food to the dormitory.
If you missed your parents or siblings, you'd be sure they'd come the following Sunday, there was no urgency to cause unrest and go home.
7. Mandatory drug tests.
Sometimes you ask, can a normal person who is not under the influence of something burn where they sleep?
Drug tests should be mandatory in schools. Sniffer dogs should roam in schools once in a while.
8. Cctv cameras to be installed outside the dorm and be monitored 24 hours by the security.
This is in case of any emergency.
In many schools, the cctv monitors are in the principal’s office but the watchmen are in the dark.
9. More dormitories construction.
Some dorms are not conducive. They are overcrowded to an extend where a student has no space to breath.
Ministry/PA should construct more dorms.
10. Guidance and Counselling department to be empowered.
Guidance and counselling is not proactive like it used to be during our time.
HoD G&c used to be the most respected HoD. Nowadays, HoD G&C just waits to hear about lezbianizm or drug abuse that is when they find work to do and someone to advice.
G&c department should be revived and empowered to do its work without interference.
By Mr Sam VIDAMBU (0743 480435).
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To God Be The Glory.
Vidambu is a professional academic mentor with over 5,500 high schools in Kenya running his academic programs.
His Academic Mentorship Programs are about content mastery skills, content retention techniques, content delivery approaches, proper revision strategies, proven reading cultures, practical study habits, instensive revision tactics, sustainable academic systemes, discipline, among other great topics.
He is a Trainer of Principals during KESSHA conferences and teachers.
He is the President of Global Student Mentorship Center, He is an author, and a Tutor.
To Have Vidambu launch the Candidates Academic Mentorship Programs in your school and be a Class Mentor kindly call/text/whatsapp 0743480435 (Sam Vidambu).
He has physical individualised holiday programs. To mentor your child on discipline and academic excellence whatsapp him 0743 480435.
Kindly Forward This Article To Whatsapp Groups of the Teachers, Parents and All The Principals you know.
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