The World Bank plans to upgrade at least ten primary schools in volatile counties by offering low cost boarding facilities for learners in banditry prone areas.
The Bank’s senior education specialist Ruth Charo pledged to facilitate the revamping and expansion of the schools to take in boarders from security risk institutions where disruption of learning activities was rampant due to raids.
Ms. Charo who is also the task team leader of the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) program currently leading a fact finding mission on the status of the five year program however challenged the government agencies to secure the locations of the schools earmarked for the exercise to restore the confidence of the learners.
She announced the plans during a courtesy call at Samburu County Commissioner’s office Mr John Cheruiyot who backed proposals to establish two low cost boarding schools in Samburu Central Sub County to woo and retain learners from disturbed areas after eight schools were recently closed due to the insecurity menace.
The local County Director of Education Mohamed Ali in his briefing to the fourth Mission on the implementation of the KPEEL programme expressed fears that many learners from the banditry ravaged communities dropped out of schools while fleeing along with their families from the hotspots.
He said schools located on the edges of the infamous Malaso conflict belt that stretched from the banditry infested Suguta and Malaso valley all the way to Kapedo escarpment were worst affected after villagers deserted their homes due to sporadic attacks and cattle raids.
Cheruiyot assured the government development partners that plans were on course to beef up security in affected schools including Malaso, Losuk, Morijo, Ngorika, Soit Pus, Pura and Lorok Primary schools which were temporarily closed for security reasons.
He however commended the Partners for rolling out the KPEEL program of which at least 90 percent of local schools were beneficiaries further boosting the quality and learning standards in some of the most challenged environments in the country.
The proposal was flaunted as senior officials from the Ministry of Education under the Directorate of Projects Coordination and Delivery and other development partners embarked on field visits to evaluate the status of KPEEL program in thirteen counties across the country.
The team including officials from the World Bank, the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, Elimu Yetu Coalition, Department of Refugees Services, The Teachers Service commission and others stakeholders were on their fourth implementation support mission in Samburu County after a similar exercise in Turkana County last week.
The team is also expected to cover Bungoma, Siaya, Kisii, Bomet, Narok, Kisumu, Kakamega,Uasin Gishu, Nakuru Mombasa and Kwale counties before evaluating the outcome of the mission early next month.
The Technical team toured Nontoto Primary School where they were shocked to find boarding learners sharing beddings and related amenities in their desperate quest for knowledge.
The team was taken aback by the state of affairs in the girl’s dormitory prompting Ms Charo and KPEEL National Co-ordinator Martha Ekirapa to mobilize an impromptu fund raiser to procure needed beddings for the boarders from poor backgrounds.
The school’s head teacher Susan Languris expressed her frustrations when girls who could barely afford the Ksh 1000 Levy under the low coast boarding facility showed up for admission yet they were more vulnerable to drop out due to cultural traits of their communities.