Rafiki wa Maendeleo Trust, local NGO, has rolled out a project known as Investing in Rural Education And Development (IREAD) to boost education standards in North and West Uyoma wards in Rarieda sub county.
Speaking yesterday at Ruma primary school during the launch of the project, IREAD project coordinator Mr. Charles Odhiambo said the project targets to improve education standards of pupils learning in rural areas.
Odhiambo disclosed that the project has four components namely provision of E-readers and Sanitary pads to pupils as well as provision of solar lamps and adult education services to parents in the two wards.
He further revealed that the two year project will cover six institutions in the two wards which includes Ruma, Gagra, Masala, Pala Kobong’, Rachar and Ndere primary schools.
Odhiambo stated that the E-reader gadgets provided to school will supplement the government’s efforts of providing free text books as it will improve the pupils-text book ratio in the schools.
“The E-readers contain 80 downloaded curriculum text books and story books which means while some pupils will be reading the text books others will be using the gadgets”, said Odhiambo
The project coordinator explained that the solar lamps will help the pupils study at night and reduce health complication developed by pupils who have been using tin lamps to study at night.
Ruma primary school deputy head teacher Mr. Fredrick Otieno Odanga who received 50 E-reader gadgets, solar lamps and sanitary pads worth Sh2.2 million donated to the school by the IREAD project said the equipment will encourage learning at the school.
Odanga said that the E-reader gadgets, unlike text books do not require large space for storage and are portable making them more efficient.
He also commended IREAD project for providing sanitary towels for girls saying this will make the girls more comfortable in schools and help in keeping them in school throughout the term hence improving their performance.
Madam Pamela Ouma Oiro in-charge of the adult literacy component of the projects, said that parents and guardians of the pupils need to be enlightened for the success and sustainability of the project.
Ouma stated that through the adult literacy component parents will learn about life skills and nutrition that will not only improve their relationship with their children but also the health of the pupils to help them perform better in school.
“During our baseline survey we discovered that most male parents are harsh and do not have good relation with their children. This exposes the children to dangers of defilement when they seek help from other outside their homes. Adult literacy will help solve this negative trend.” She explained
She stated that enlightened parents are better equipped to make follow up of the progress of their children in school as well as take care of the equipment donated through the project.
Mary Ogola a parents at Ruma primary school said the donations from the project and provision of adult education by IREAD will not only change the lives of the pupils but also that of the entire Ruma community.
Justine Otieno, the Ruma school president said the E-readers will reduce the pupils’ burden of carrying many text books and also provide them with access to story books which they could not access before.
By Brian Ondeng’
