Education stakeholders in Kiambu County have been challenged to provide adequate infrastructure, staff and learning equipment in all secondary schools to meet ever rising enrolment rates.
Kiambu County Director of Education (CDE) Ms. Victoria Mulili told KNA during an interview that the capacity of some schools were overstretched, thus the need to expand the available infrastructure.
She cited Kamandura girl’s high school in Limuru Sub County, which was overwhelmed beyond absorption due an increase in students’ population
“Since the elevation of Kamandura Girls high school in Limuru from district level to the county level, the population of students who enroll at the school shot up from 557 to 800 in the past 3 years, resulting to a high demand of learning equipment, teaching staff and infrastructure to meet the current needs of the students,” the Director said.
Mulili stated that the school needed more classrooms and dormitories to accommodate the increasing numbers of boarders to ensure that quality education and housing was guaranteed.
“Unlike in the past years, where a classroom was meant for at least 40 students, in the current state more than 60 students are forced to squeeze to fit for lessons due to the population explosion at the school.
Mulili further noted that more toilets and dormitories are needed to cater for the congestion exhibited in the boarding section.
She said the school needed more laboratories to enable students undertake their experiments in various practical lessons properly.
The director urged parents to chip in towards the construction of an administration block and a perimeter wall stating that the school was located along the busy Limuru-Nakuru highway.
She regretted that the sorry state of affairs posed a security risk to students, unless plans were fast tracked to put up a barbed wire fencing around the school to keep off trespassers.
Mulili noted that education was a key to success in life among most youths in Kenya, thus emphasized on the need to equip the school so as to give them a good academic background that will propel them to fully participate in social-economic aspect in nation building.
She also expressed gratitude to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for accepting to deploy 2 teachers to the school, which she said had helped ease the shortage of staff.
By Lydia Shiroya and Afwande Pauline
