A recent incident in Kenya involving a man confronting a school driver for picking up children at 4 a.m. has ignited a public debate over the welfare of learners due to increasingly early school pickup times.

• Concerns are rising over the impact of these extreme schedules on children’s health, safety, and academic performance, with some children waking as early as 3 a.m.
• Education stakeholders and child welfare advocates warn that insufficient sleep negatively affects concentration, memory, and overall development.
• The practice is largely attributed to long travel distances and heavy traffic, prompting calls for clearer guidelines and a review of school transport arrangements to prioritize children's wellbeing.