Nyeri County has realized a 99 per cent success rate of back to school by learners becoming one of the highest in the country.
The percentage on average is derived from both primary and secondary schools from the region.
The government ordered the resumption of learning in all schools following their closure in March last year due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lands Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Nicholas Muraguri yesterday attributed the success to the combined efforts by the national and county government officials, the school system, parents and guardians.
“In Nyeri, we can account for all students and this has been one of the highest in the Republic,” Dr. Muraguri said.
He was speaking at St Bakhita Gataragwa Girls High School in Kieni West sub county, Nyeri County when he led a team of Principal Secretaries to assess the status of schools in ensuring that health protocols to curb spread of Covid-19 were in place.
“Where each child is not in school, there is an elaborate programme to account for them,” Dr. Muraguri said adding that there were several reasons why a learner might not have reported back.
The PS cited pregnancies among girls, transfers to other schools and cases of illnesses among others.
He expressed optimism that the private schools sub sector would soon be out and running when the country is declared free of covid-19 and a vaccination programme that would be rolled out soon.
Dr. Muraguri at the same time expressed satisfaction with the basic measures taken by schools in the area to curb the spread of the pandemic.
The Lands PS commended teachers for their innovations to decongest classrooms like mounting of tents in open areas where lessons are conducted, converting halls to boarding facilities, arranging students to sleep facing opposite directions in their decks, installing water points at strategic areas where students congregate, random taking of temperatures and liaising with the nearest health facilities in case of an emergency.
“All these are done to enable them maintain basic Covid-19 strategies,” he said, and hailed the government and all stakeholders in the education sector for enabling students to resume classes and learn in a safe environment.
Nyeri County Commissioner Mr. Lyford Kibaara who accompanied the PS directed the area principals to liaise with their respective deputy county commissioners to track students from other counties who have not reported back to schools.
By Mwangi Gaitha
