Being a head teacher in Kenya is not a job for the faint-hearted. While it’s not easy to deal with children from all walks of life, it can be even harder to deal with parents, many of whom are psychologically disturbed due to the economic challenges facing the country. Some of these parents believe they have more rights than others and deserve special treatment. Here are ten types of parents school heads have to deal with in Kenya.
The Drama Queen She storms into the office without knocking, bangs the door, and starts quarrelling and shouting at the teacher without even explaining herself. The problem usually stems from her Grade Four child telling her they were caned by the class teacher for being late to school or for misbehaving.
The Snitch She’s a snitch, plain and simple. As soon as she leaves the school, she heads straight to the district education office to report the head teacher for asking parents for extra levies. She keeps a close eye on school activities, and the moment she discovers secret tuition sessions, she immediately reports them to the relevant authorities. However, during school meetings, she’s the first to curse those who reported the matter.
The Clueless He shows up for inquiries or after a summons but doesn’t know which grade his child is in, nor does he even know the child’s full name. He has to call "Mama Boy" to find out and can be overheard asking, "Kijana nakuanga grade gani?" He also doesn’t know who his child’s class teacher is, despite being a parent for nearly five years.
The Drawer He always makes promises he never keeps. When he’s in the head teacher’s office, he sweet-talks his way out of paying tuition or activity fees. He’s persuasive and can convince the head teacher to stop sending his daughter home, promising that the money will arrive by tomorrow. But he never keeps his word.
The Complainant She only comes to school to complain that her son is being mistreated by a teacher or the watchman. She also criticizes everything the school offers, including the meals, which she considers low quality, and she questions why a certain teacher marked a correct answer as wrong. She never sees anything good about the school or its teachers, focusing only on the negatives.
The Busybody She’s always in a hurry and expects to be served first whenever she visits the head teacher’s office, claiming she’s too busy to wait. Her excuses include wasting money just by being at the school. In reality, she might just be a housewife who wants to be served quickly so she can go home and watch Afro-Cinema.
The Blackmailer This parent wants their child admitted to the school and uses blackmail to achieve it. He’s quick to inform the head teacher that he works at the CID headquarters or is a journalist from a major media house to intimidate the teacher. He also threatens the teacher with dire consequences if his child is suspended.
The Gossip Guru This parent visits the school just to share the latest gossip from the community with the teacher. While other parents are waiting for services, this one takes up hours in the office, cracking jokes and discussing family affairs with the teacher.
The Timid and Forgetful She’s fearful and often forgets why she came to the school in the first place. Once in the office, it might take her ten minutes to remember her purpose. The teacher may have to send her out first, asking her to return when she remembers her needs.
The Defensive Type She defends her child at all costs and refuses to consider whether the class teacher’s allegations are true or false. To her, her child is an angel who couldn’t possibly do anything wrong. She believes all accusations against her child are false and should be dismissed immediately.
