Opinion leaders and professionals in Busia County have been urged to work closely with government officers with a view to improve education performance.
Speaking during a visit to Mabunge RC Secondary School on Tuesday, the Principal Secretary for the State Department of University Education and Research Dr. Simon Nabukwesi said that the County had great potential to excel in the education sector.
“I learnt with people from Busia in high school and university, Busia is the home of professors,” he said, adding that there is some laxity among students in terms of performance.
Nabukwesi noted that the County had a very good county commissioner, security officers and education officials who can support in improvement of education standards.
“Busia must be ranked among the best in terms of transition to secondary schools,” he said adding, the CS, education, Prof George Magoha wants the county to achieve its best.
He further pointed out that there are pockets of parents affected by poverty in the county to the extent that they cannot take their children to school.
“I want to urge opinion leaders to encourage fellow parents to take their children to school because the government is paying fees for day secondary schools,” he said.
He at the same time urged school principals not to send students home because of unpaid fees. “They should instead call parents and discuss how best they can handle issues of school fees,” he said.
The PS noted that a number of young people have dropped out of schools and resorted to riding boda boda. “Many of them are getting maimed or die due to failure to adhere to traffic rules,” he said, adding that there is need to sensitize the youth to further their education.
Nabukwesi also said that there is need to prevail upon political leaders to prioritize education.
“If we encourage parents to know that education is the equalizer, then they will understand the need for taking their children to school without being pushed by the government,” he said.
He further noted that contractors in Western Kenya region have not completed their CBC projects due to lack of resources and incitement that the government might not pay them.
Western Regional Director of Education Steven Barongo said that their mission was to ensure that all students who sat for KCPE last year transit to secondary school and all the Competency Based Curriculum classrooms are completed.
The team mopped up 47 students who sat for KCPE in Betula Sub County and placed them in secondary day schools near their homes.
By Salome Alwanda
