Kenyan Education Minister sides with students, bugs conservatives.

In the category of unexpectedly awesome news from last week, the Minister of Education in Kenya sided with protesting students at a girls' secondary school in Kenya. The girls had gone on strike over a change in their regulation skirt sizes, and been on strike for about three weeks when the Minister of Education stepped in, saying that the problem was not the length of the skirt, but that the school had made the decision without consulting the students first.

While most of the coverage has focused on the question of skirt length and the Minister's comment that students need not "dress like nuns," the idea that young people have a right to be included in school decision-making processes is quietly, and awesomely, radical. Minister Mutula emphasized the need for students to have a say in their education, and for the school administration to respect their opinions and come up with solutions that work for everyone. Well done, sir, well done indeed.