DEMOCRATIC STUDENT COUNCILS AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
This research study examines the influence of Kenya's unique policy of establishing elected student Councils, an under-researched topic. The study aims to explore the influence and presence of democratic student-representative institutions and investigate the impact of student councils on reducing school strikes and conflict. The qualitative study was conducted to gather data from a diverse group of key school stakeholders involved in managing public secondary schools in Kenya. Its objective was to comprehend the influence of democratically elected student councils on school management and their role in reducing conflicts in schools since 2013. A total of 69 participants were interviewed, comprising nine secondary school principals, six teachers, 24 members of immediate student councils, 11 former student leaders, 17 former students, and two education officials, providing a comprehensive range of perspectives. Of these, 64 respondents participated in focus group discussions, while five were involved in semi-structured interviews. These discussions delved into the origin and evolution of student councils in Kenya, the perceived effectiveness of the Student Council, the influence of student councils in mitigating conflict and strikes, and recommendations. The semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions revealed four distinct lessons and trends. Firstly, it was found that most public secondary schools in Kenya have elected student councils, which have evident benefits for school management. However, the study also uncovered that many schools employed "pseudo" democratic election processes manipulated by school administrators, leading to heightened tensions and a loss of trust in the system. The presence of student councils was shown to impact reducing conflicts and school strikes positively. Nevertheless, effective student council implementation needs to consider unanticipated diverse issues such as gender, adolescence, adequate training, and preparation. Lastly, the findings highlighted that for student councils to maintain their effectiveness, significant investment needs to be made in curriculum development, capacity building, mentorship, and resourcing of student councils. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for further research and training for student councils to guarantee their efficacy.
Convention on the Rights of the Child, Democracy, School governance, School strikes, Student Councils, Student participation
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