Sad state of 1,200 Tana River pupils learning under trees as new school awaits launching
Pupils continue with lessons at Makere Primary School in Tana River County, which was hit by floods, in this picture taken on May 16, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Makere Primary School in Galole sub-County was among the 17 worst hit schools by the floods, the entire school was swept away into the River Tana.
- So far, four classrooms and a pit latrine have been built.
Pupils at a school in Tana River County that was swept by floods four months ago are still learning under trees and makeshift tents despite the completion of a new school built through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Makere Primary School in Galole sub-County was among the 17 worst hit schools by the floods, the entire school was swept away into the River Tana.
The second term was spent learning under trees, braving the scorching sun and the dust storms, as the NG-CDF undertook the task of building a new school at a new site.
However, students cannot occupy them as they are yet to be handed over to the NG-CDF office.
According to the school Parents Teachers Association (PTA) vice chairperson Mwanajuma Guyo, the handing over of the project is expected to happen once the NG-CDF office commits to paying the contractor. Over 1,200 students are kept waiting.
"The contractor says the people who gave him the project are yet to acknowledge it, so we have been waiting for the area Member of Parliament to come and launch it so that the students can take shelter,” she said.
The new school sits on a four-acre piece of land, about nine kilometres from the village. The site was chosen as it is considered safer from the ever-swelling River Tana.
So far, four classrooms and a pit latrine have been built.
One room is to be used as a staff room and the other three shared among Junior Secondary students and upper primary students.
The school needs 12 more classrooms, a head teacher’s office, a kitchen, and five toilets for the pupils.
The pupils population in Makere Primary School keeps dropping day after day, with parents transferring hundreds of their children to other nearby schools.
According to the principal Maso Karahyu, most of the children have not reported for the third term. He fears that if urgent attention is not given to the school's infrastructure, many will abandon the institution.
"We are soon witnessing a mass exodus of students if the status quo remains, therefore a quick infrastructural development will save us the embarrassment," he said.
'Finance issues'
Galole MP Said Hiribae said there have been financial challenges in sorting out matters concerning flooded schools.
He said they had requested more funds after establishing that the constituency requires more than Sh300 million to construct six new schools on raised grounds.
He explained that rehabilitating schools where they were destroyed by floods is not a good idea, which is why they have singled out six schools for relocation to safer grounds. This he notes is an expensive affair.
"We had requested for more funds, but even the little that we are supposed to get so that we can deal with these issues is not forthcoming, people don't understand our situation as Tana River.
"We will not be renovating schools in flood-prone areas, it is a waste of resources. We are insisting on starting afresh, we have the land all we need is the financial support," he said.
At Makere Primary School, Humanitarian Organisations like Plan International are delivering short-term relief to the children, providing tents for temporary shelter.
The Makere Primary School Administration Block stands meters away from River Tana, Tana River County after the school was destroyed by floods in May, 2024.
Plan International County Project Coordinator George Galugalu, called on other organisations to intervene in helping the children in Tana River who are on the verge of giving up learning due to the discouraging environment.
In Nyangwani Primary School, teachers and children still await intervention from well-wishers.
Parents are reinforcing the destroyed classrooms with mud hoping for better intervention.
A teacher in the school who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said frequent pleas to the NG-CDF Office have not yielded anything, hence, many children are dropping out of school.
"You can imagine keeping students in a classroom that can’t hold rain and risk falling in case of strong winds and also keeping them in school without food, they won’t stay," said the teacher.
Tana River County Commissioner David Koskei, however, notes that learning in most areas is ongoing, with children from the areas affected by the recent floods integrated in schools near camps.
He however admits that infrastructural and material challenges abound, as most schools are crowded.
"Right now most classrooms are holding more than enough, and it’s a health as well as safety risk. There is a need for more well-wishers to focus attention down here," he said.
