Nyamware Primary School: School with collapsed mud walls seeks help from well wishers

Pupils of Nyamware Primary School being taught in dilapidated classrooms on June 12, 2016. Teachers have to send the pupils back home whenever it is about to rain to avoid being rained on. There is also fear that the pupils may contract diseases due to the erratic learning environment. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Pupils of Nyamware Primary School in Ndhiwa constituency are learning in derelict classrooms.

Although the pupils have a roof over their heads, their classes have decrepit walls that can crumble any time.

Some pupils learn under trees after their classrooms collapsed while teachers sit in an open field as they have no staffroom.

The school in Kobama division is not only an eyesore but unfit for human habitation.

When The Standard visited the school, we found the walls of six classrooms had collapsed. The mud walls began collapsing due to heavy rains, which began last year.

The school is now seeking help to construct new classrooms as its dilapidated structures are exposing pupils to vagaries of weather and other dangers.

The pupils in the collapsed structures are able to see what is taking place outside their respective classrooms from all corners while seated.

The school head teacher, Samwel Nyamboche, expressed concern that the situation had greatly affected learning.

"Whenever it is about to rain, we are forced to send pupils home," said Mr Nyamboche.

Other teachers expressed concern that the situation has made it difficult to control the concentration of the pupils when they are being taught.

They argued that the dilapidated classrooms were diverting the pupils' attention.

"Controlling pupils' attention is a big challenge because they are able to see everything happening outside the classrooms. Some classrooms have no walls to separate them, making the pupils to be easily distracted by their counterparts in other classrooms," said Bethwel Bugo, a teacher.

The biggest setback the school is facing is transfer of pupils to other schools over fears that the institution may record dismal performance in this year's Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.

According to Nyamboche, the school population has drastically declined from 400 last year to the current 215 pupils.

"Our mean score for last year's KCPE mean score was 248 but the three mock tests we have done this year have achieved a mean score ranging between 202 and 222. This is a sign of bad future performance in the national exams," he added.

He appealed to well wishers to intervene and help the the school.

The school had received a CDF allocation, which it used to put up two permanent classrooms more than five years ago.

The school management committee chairman Daniel Odero said most neighbouring residents are poor and therefore unable to offer any help.