‘Forgotten’ school asks for help to stay afloat

Nyang’ Primary School in Muhoroni is crying out for help.

The school — if it qualifies to be called so — is in bad shape. Most of its mud walls collapsed long ago, and it seems it is only a matter of time before the others give way. For the pupils, being in class is as good as being outside.

As a result, they are exposed to the elements; wind, rainfall and dust, of course depending on the season. It is no wonder then that some of them suffer from respiratory diseases now and then. The dusty classroom floors only make matters worse.

The school, located deep inside the Muhoroni sugar belt, boasts of 340 learners; some 279 of them in primary section and the others in pre-primary. The population is still growing. Unfortunately, the school has only two latrines; one for boys and the other for girls.

It is thus not surprising that some pupils find it more convenient to answer the call of nature in the open field outside the school.

Dilapidated state

A small room acts as the administration block and hosts the head teacher and his eight teachers. With books, chairs and other office equipment fighting for space, the teachers spend much of their time outside when not in class.

But the dilapidated state of the school has not dampened the pupils’ determination to excel.

In its first stab at Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, the school managed a mean score of 264.2. Five pupils were admitted to extra-county schools.

And the school, which was started 10 years ago, hopes to perform even better, according to the head teacher Ambrose Omanje.

However, this might not come to pass, as public health officials are mulling whether to close down the institution.

Public Health Officer Collette Okwiri yesterday said she had dispatched a team to assess the school’s condition.

“Tomorrow we will have a clear report on the status of the school,” she said.

The head teacher appealed for help to lift the school out of its current morass. “We have been trying to reach out to various stakeholders to help us develop the school as its population continues to grow very fast due to its wide catchment area,” said Mr Omanje.

The head teacher said since the school was started, it received Government funding for Free Primary Education only last year.

The teacher also wants help to have pupils sit KCPE in the school.

“We were told our infrastructure is not good enough to accommodate exams and other related materials,” he said.

Some teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity said they want to be transferred. “Any new teacher who comes to this school takes long to adapt and there are those who arrive here and immediately start looking for transfers,” said a teacher.