Desire for brighter future pushes pupils to mobile schools

Sagar mobile school teacher, Mr. Abdullahi Ahmed shows the stationery in a shiny metallic box the school depends on. PHOTO BY NANJINIA WAMUSWA

Voices of pupils reciting Kiswahili words grow louder and louder as we approach a lone makeshift building standing among dry, thorny bushes.

Young Maynum Makahil is spelling out the names one by one as the class recites after her. The teacher, Abdullahi Ahmed, who is today dressed in a pink shirt and grey trousers, follows closely and intervenes to assist when the words are mispronounced.

As Maynum completes her turn, another pupil, takes over and the reading continues.

This is Sagar Mobile primary school in Ijara constituency of Garissa County. The makeshift building made of iron sheets and dry twigs houses four classes; nursery and standards one, two and three, all under one teacher, Abdullahi. All the pupils wearing bright coloured clothes sit on the dusty floor.

Abdullahi somehow manages to teach these pupils under one roof.

“Each class needs different lessons, and being together makes it hard. I have to write on the same blackboard, wait till others are done before I write down an assignment for others,” he says.

The youngest in nursery is three years old while the oldest in Standard Three is aged 14. Abdullahi’s class has 72 pupils; 35 girls and 37 boys.

However, during our visit, we find only 40 pupils.

“At times, 20 or less attend class for various reasons, such as lack of food or sickness.”

The school hardly has enough learning material but recently received a few textbooks from Unicef which are quite handy.

Abdullahi, who teaches English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Islamic Religious Education and Social Studies, says he sets exams every week and at the end of the term before he promotes a child to the next level.

During the Islamic lesson, pupils move out of this classroom to an enclosure within the compound.

“It is because the class is small and cannot accommodate all pupils as the Islamic learning materials (pieces of wood inscribed with Islamic scriptures referred to as duksi) are bulky.”

He has divided his lessons into two sessions; from 7am to 4pm for those who come during the day and 4pm to after 7pm for those graze their animals before coming to class.

“There are pupils keen to study but their parents won’t allow them in class till they have grazed their cattle. They leave early to graze animals and return at 4pm to attend class.”

The school educates pupils up to Standard Three, then they move to another school and continue from Standard Four.

Several nomadic parents welcomed the idea of mobile schools, saying it gave their children a chance to sample a bright future. However, the nature of these schools is discouraging both parents and pupils.

An elder, Budhul Haji Aden expected the Government to provide more schools and give their children food, uniform, stationery and shoes.

“There is only one school here and children are many.

How practical is it to have nursery school pupils learn under the same roof and teacher with those in Standard One to Three?” wonders Aden.

Aden says some of their children walk more than 8km and pass through routes with dangerous wild animals to attend Sagar School. He recalls an incident in which a young girl was attacked by a hyena on her way to school.

Another mobile school, Abdi Gab, in Balambala, some 100km north of Garissa town, has been closed. Parents and neighbours we interviewed said the school is on and off because of poor fees payment. The teacher is paid by parents.

A parent, Ali Idriss Aden, says the teacher normally stops reporting to school when his salary delays for months.

“We have been paying but currently life is very tough for us. We do not have money to pay the teacher,” he explained.

Residents also cite lack of a permanent water supply as a threat to education.

“When there is no water, children abandon school and go in search of it,” says a parent, adding that they wish feeding programmes were introduced in school to keep children in class.

At Sagar, Abdullahi gets Sh15,000 per month, but this money is paid once a year.

“I got Sh180,000 in March last year and now I’m hoping to receive this year’s pay around the same time,” he disclosed.

He says his salary does not last because he uses the same money to buy his students’ stationery.

“I sacrifice my pay to buy books and pencils for these pupils out of my generous heart. Their parents think just allowing them attend class is enough,” he laments.

He says pupils come without learning materials or uniform and if you chase them away, they will never return.
Those who attend evening classes are affected since there are no lamps to light the classes.

Kenya Pastoralist Network for Children Co-ordinator Omar says education is the right of all children including children in pastoralist communities.
It is not just education, but good quality education that would prepare them for a productive future.

“The Government should implement sustainable and progressive educational programmes and educate parents, community elders and religious leaders in pastoralist communities to value and support their children’s education,” he says.