Students of Good Shepherd Girls High School going home for Mid term break. Photo by Andrew Mbuva. 
By Andrew Mbuva
As secondary schools across the country begin the mid-term break, one school in Makueni County is standing out as a model of stability and calm at a time when unrest has disrupted learning in several institutions.
Good Shepherd Girls High School, a C3 School in Nzaui Subcounty, has successfully weathered a turbulent period that saw neighbouring schools experience student unrest and forced closures, with the institution maintaining peace and uninterrupted learning.
According to the school's principal, Salome Muchiri, the secret behind the school's stability lies in one simple but often overlooked principle — listening to students.
Speaking during the close of the mid-term, Muchiri said the school recently faced a tense moment after reports emerged that students from a neighbouring school had attempted to influence some learners to stage unrest and demand to leave school.
While a few students became excited by the developments elsewhere, the administration chose dialogue instead of punishment.
“I did a bit of investigation to know what was happening and I was told people just got excited and said they are going home,” said Muchiri. “On investigation, I realized it was just the excitement of the moment.”
Rather than taking drastic disciplinary action, the school administration initiated what the principal described as “public participation” among students.
Learners were presented with two options regarding their examination schedule and reporting dates. One option was to sit examinations immediately and leave earlier, while the other was to maintain the original school calendar.
The results surprised the administration. Only 12.5 percent of the students preferred taking examinations immediately and leaving early, while an overwhelming 87.5 percent voted to continue with the existing programme and avoid being influenced by events happening elsewhere.
The outcome reinforced the school's belief that students become more responsible when they are involved in decisions affecting them.
“Consultation with students is key,” Muchiri said. “Here we do not just make decisions.”
The principal attributes much of the school's success to a strong prefect body that serves as a bridge between the administration and the student population.
She regularly meets student leaders in the evenings, creating an open environment where learners can freely express concerns, share opinions and discuss challenges affecting them.
“We sit together and talk generally. They tell me what the girls are saying and how they feel,” she explained.
The school's management philosophy also extends to teachers. Before making major decisions, the administration consults the Senior Management Team, allowing various perspectives to be considered before policies are implemented.
According to Muchiri, many conflicts in schools can be prevented when students understand the reasons behind decisions.
Whenever prefects raise concerns from students, the administration addresses them openly during school assemblies, explaining the rationale behind certain policies while also considering students' suggestions.
“If we feel their suggestions do no harm, we allow them,” she said.
The principal also advocates for a more humane approach to school rules, arguing that some traditional regulations may unnecessarily strain relationships between learners and schools.
She cited situations where parents visit schools to pay fees but are not allowed to see their children, leaving students emotionally distressed.
“For a whole week a student may be disturbed wondering why their parent came and left without saying hello,” she noted.
At Good Shepherd Girls, parents who visit the school are allowed a few minutes to greet their children, a gesture the principal believes strengthens emotional support and trust.
Education stakeholders have increasingly linked school unrest to poor communication, rigid leadership styles and the exclusion of learners from decisions that directly affect them.
As many schools continue to grapple with cases of student indiscipline and unrest, Good Shepherd Girls High School appears to offer a different model — one built on dialogue, trust, consultation and mutual respect.
For the students at the Makueni institution, the message is clear: when learners are heard, they become partners in maintaining peace rather than participants in unrest.
At a time when many schools are searching for solutions to student disturbances, the experience of Good Shepherd Girls demonstrates that the most effective answer may not lie in stricter rules, but in stronger relationships.
