Chiefs in Tigania East Sub-county have been urged to sustain an updated data bank from the villages on the number of school going-age children not enrolled in schools.
Speaking at a public baraza in Mikinduri, area Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Mose Obed said keeping data would enable concerned stakeholders to know which learners drops out of school for whatever reason along with enhancing timely interventions.
Mose said time was long gone when anybody would succeed in bringing political interference into education matters, saying any parent or guardian found to have ignored their children would be held responsible individually to the extent of being prosecuted for violating Children Rights.
He urged school sponsors to be ready and willing to cooperate with relevant stakeholders involved in education development, towards improving education standards.
The Administrator said some parts of the Sub-county and the larger Meru County were low potential areas without the possibility of growing cash crops for regular income, making quality education the only viable and reliable ladder to prosperity for residents.
Mose appreciated that some parents in the area had found sense in investing more of their resources into providing quality education for their children to contain poverty which more often than not contributes to crime in the society.
The DCC said the crackdown in the villages was also targeting parents still holding on the culture of hiding children with forms of disabilities at homes, saying such children had the right to be brought forth for proper placement in available special education institutions for a better future.
He challenged parents and the larger community to develop a positive attitude towards local day secondary schools and allow their children to enroll for affordable and accessible secondary education, especially those from financially challenged family backgrounds.
The Administrator reiterated that teachers in day secondary schools had undertaken the same professional training with their colleagues in other preferred schools, the only difference could be that some performance enabling facilities and infrastructure were lacking in schools.
Mose commended one of the Chiefs for moving with speed ahead of his colleagues and managed to arrest over five school drop-outs following information that they were working in Miraa farms in Antuanduru Location.
“We have already embarked on searching for their parents to have them face the full force of the law for subjecting the children to being in need of care and protection,’ Mose said.
By Makaa Margaret
