A parent at CITAM Schools Woodley in Nairobi has raised concerns over the quality of education, treatment of academically struggling learners and bullying among pupils, questioning whether the institution is delivering the standards expected of a Christian school charging substantial fees.
In a complaint sent to Nyakundi Report, the parent claims that some teachers handling Grades 4 and 5 are failing to give adequate attention to children who need additional academic support, with some making discouraging remarks about their performance.
The parent says families are then expected to pay additional tuition fees to help their children improve, adding another financial burden to school fees they already consider expensive.
The complaint describes a situation in which children who struggle academically may receive criticism rather than the assistance they need to improve. According to the parent, some teachers allegedly subject weaker learners to verbal bullying over their grades while recommending paid extra tuition.
This raises questions about how the school identifies and supports learners experiencing academic difficulties, whether additional lessons are optional and how parents are informed about any extra charges. The parent has offered to share the school's fee structure to demonstrate the financial commitments families are already making, although the document has not yet been provided for examination.
Beyond classroom instruction, the parent is concerned about the behaviour of pupils and what they describe as inadequate supervision of social interactions within the school. The complaint alleges that some boys in the middle and upper grades engage in fights and bullying away from the attention of teachers and administrators. The parent also describes abusive language among learners, including insults directed at other children's identities and families. According to the complaint, these experiences have affected the parent's daughter so seriously that she has developed a negative attitude towards returning to the school next year.
The parent believes the situation is particularly troubling because CITAM Schools Woodley operates within a Christian educational environment, where families expect academic instruction to be accompanied by discipline, respect and proper treatment of children.
The complaint sent to Nyakundi Report reads in full:
Hi Nyakundi, please hide my identity. I want you to kindly highlight something disturbing about CITAM School Woodley.
My child schools there. The school fees we pay, which are so high I can share the fee structure, don't match the quality of education and school environment. I mean, some teachers, especially in lower grades grades 4 and 5 mostly don't bother to teach pupils who are weak academically some bully them verbally about their grades and to add insult to injury, they will demand that you pay tuition fees for your kid to be given extra tuition.
This is another burden on top of the huge fees we are paying. Come to social interaction at school: being a Christian school, you'll expect the school to impart a high level of discipline and decorum to the learners, but on the contrary, you'll find learners, especially boys in upper and middle classes, engaging in fights and bullying behind the scenes, which the school management is oblivious to.
This is made worse by the abusive and vulgar language the learners use on each other ...common phrases like bitch, you gay, son or daughter of a monkey and this has made my daughter really negative about going back there next year
The concerns raised by the parent touch on responsibilities that extend beyond examination performance. Kenya's Basic Education Act provides for the protection of children from physical and psychological abuse in educational institutions, while the Teachers Service Commission's professional standards require teachers to treat learners with dignity and maintain appropriate professional conduct. Schools are also expected to provide safe learning environments and respond appropriately when children report bullying or mistreatment.
For learners in Grades 4 and 5, academic difficulties should prompt appropriate assessment, guidance and support. Where a school offers additional tuition at a separate cost, parents should be given clear information about the arrangement, including whether participation is voluntary and what assistance remains available to children whose families cannot afford extra lessons.
The parent has made clear that the concern is not simply about paying high fees. It is about whether children receive the academic assistance, respectful treatment and safe environment their families expect in return.
CITAM Schools Woodley needs to explain how it supports struggling learners, what safeguards exist against verbal bullying by teachers and pupils, and what steps it is taking to ensure children do not become afraid of returning to school