A 14 year old pupil in Kenya’s Mombasa township was asked by her school to repeat a class for non-performance.
Not able to convince the school to allow her proceed, she decided to commit suicide, local media reported.
Rehema Kura was reported to be skipping classes, refusing to abide by the school’s decision for her to repeat her class.
She hanged herself at her parent’s house this week and her body was only found dangling from the roof by her sister.
Daily Nation reported that the victim’s mother, Sada Nganda, said she last spoke to her daughter on Wednesday morning when she informed her that she was feeling unwell.
“She told me she was not feeling well and I asked to stay at home and rest,” Ms Nganda said.
Rehema’s sister also said “She had complained to me many times since she received her end of year marks, which were low. Our mother promised her that she would be transferred to another school later on.”
Kenyan education officials have often warned schools against forcing students to repeat classes based on poor academic performance.
Repetition of classes is a frequent practice in schools across Africa. Often those asked to repeat consider it demeaning.
Source: Africafeeds.com
