Residents of Tana Delta Sub County in Tana River, grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods, are urgently appealing to the national government to construct new schools to replace those swept away by the floods.
The displaced residents, currently residing in various camps, highlight the dire conditions learners are facing, as makeshift classes under trees become the norm.
A recent spot check revealed the challenging situation at Imani Primary School, which was relocated from the Bandi area near Gamba police station to its current position near Garsen town.
Teachers at the school struggle to conduct lessons under the scorching sun, lacking essential learning aids such as desks and textbooks.
Imani Primary School’s head teacher, Mr Joseph Wanyoike, expressed the extent of the damage caused by the floods, stating that most learning materials were destroyed, and the community had permanently relocated to the new site as a lasting solution to flooding calamities.
The school’s population, once at 320 pupils, has dwindled to 280 since the relocation.
Mr. Wanyoike emphasized that the capitation received is insufficient for any meaningful infrastructural development.
He called on the Ministry of Education to urgently intervene in constructing classrooms, offices, and toilets to restore a conducive learning environment for the affected students.
Addressing the issue, Mr Mohamed Gobole, chairman of the Imani Primary School board, challenged Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to visit the area and witness the hardships the pupils are enduring.
Gobole urged the CS to gather data during the visit, advocating for the allocation of funds to construct schools in the flood-affected region.
Echoing these sentiments, Mr Abubakar Shora, the representative of the area MP Ali Guyo Wario, called on the Ministry of Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) Development to play a role in supporting the construction of schools, emphasizing the critical need for swift action to restore normalcy to the education system in the Tana Delta Sub County
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