Six hundred pupils from the remote Juhudi primary school in Kauma Sub-county of Kilifi have benefitted from five modern classrooms and 16 toilets sponsored by a Switzerland-based charitable organization.
The learners who used to take lessons under tree shades while sitting on logs even as they contend with biting hunger in the region, have a reason to smile after PRO GANZE, a Swiss NGO funded construction of the facilities.
The NGO identified the region’s gaps affecting education and donated the five classrooms each equipped with 50 desks per unit.
Speaking at Juhudi primary, Kauma sub-county director of education Haro Deche Mwatsuma said the school will graduate into another level since the learning environment directly contributes to the performance and well-being of the learners.
Deche said the construction of the modern fully-fledged classrooms and the toilets will now bridge the gap that existed in the school when the learners used to study under cashew nut trees and mud-thatched structures.
He acknowledged the need for the government to post more teachers to the school since the ratio of teachers to learners in the school is very low.
Juhudi Primary head teacher Omar Dele expressed his gratitude saying that lack of classrooms and inadequate learning materials were a huge setback to the school.
Dele said that even though the school still lacks an administration block, the classrooms, each capable of accommodating 200 pupils, will elevate the performance of the school.
He stated that the school only had two classrooms built through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) with no toilets and water supply.
The head teacher urged the government to employ more teachers and deploy them to the school stating that the numbers of learners are high and will even be higher following the classrooms’ construction.
Kauma Sub County Deputy County Commissioner Kepha Kegeni commended the organization and asked other willing NGOs to partner not only in improving education in the area but also other basic amenities given that Kauma is a new sub-county and needs a lot of development.
Kegeni said that the government is committed to collaborating with NGOs to ensure that the region is developed.
Jaribuni Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) Peter Shehe who has links to Pro Ganze through his wife Barbra Furher the president of the organization, lauded the move saying that it is a step forward.
Shehe promised to push to have more organizations collaborate to develop the region to compliment government efforts.
He added that the construction of the 16 toilets is a huge step forward especially given that sanitation in the region has been previously reported to be in poor condition.
By Treeza Auma and Harrison Yeri
