Nyinyira Primary Poses Danger To Students.
More than 150 students at Nyinyira Primary School in Nandi South are in danger of losing their lives because they are studying in dilapidated structures that have been neglected for years.
The school, established in 2014, is located on the outskirts of the Nandi escapements in Bonjoke and has mud-walled classrooms, some of which are falling apart, posing a danger to students and teachers.
In Kalenjin, nyinyira also means to destroy by trampling.
Nelson Koech, the chairperson of the school’s Board of Management, says that residents initiated the school and registered it as a public institution in 2014 due to a lack of primary schools along the border of Nandi and Vihiga counties.
They could not navigate rocky routes to the other schools. Teachers share toilets with students; the one used by the children collapsed.
All of the classrooms, from Pre-Primary to Class Eight, are in disrepair, exposing students to dust and rusted broken roofs.
The dry season is a blessing in disguise because it allows students to study without interruptions.
The classrooms are overcrowded, and some students are taught outside under trees. A church that doubles as a staff room, with space for three classes arranged in corners, stands out as a permanent structure on the one acre.
According to the school’s administration, the National Government-Constituency Development Fund and capitation funds have not been used to improve the school’s infrastructure.
Last week, parents protested the government’s failure to act, pointing out that the school is registered and serves children from Vihiga and Nandi.
They appealed to the government to intervene to ensure safety for the pupils and better education standards at the facility. Parents also lamented over the lack of qualified teachers.
The school’s board secretary, Mary Koech, claimed that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) would be impossible to implement with the school’s current facilities.
According to Nandi Education Director Zachary Mutuiri, the school was registered and given a provincial certificate, but no follow-up was done to ensure they met learning standards.
According to him, the provisional certificate issued in 2014 expired after one and a half years.
“The school has not benefited from any financial support since then. For institutions to be registered, they should have permanent structures,” he said.
He stated that education officers had been dispatched to assess the school and other schools rumoured to be abandoned in the area and that the school’s fate would be determined once the report was completed.
CS Education While assessing the CBC classrooms projects in Nandi, Prof George Magoha directed county Education officers to survey the schools along the Nandi escapements, as some were missing from the government’s Geographic Information System.
Among Most Neglected Schools In Kenya, Nyinyira Primary Poses Danger To Students.
