Over 300 members of 28 school boards of management (BOM) have undergone training to enhance good leadership, accountability and academic performance.
The training, sponsored by Lewa Conservancy, also involved school principals and their deputies.
It brought together boards from the 28 schools that are sponsored by Lewa Conservancy in Meru, Isiolo and Laikipia counties.
Speaking at Gitoro Conference Centre in North Imenti, Lewa Conservancy Chief Programmes and Partnerships Officer John Kinoti and Head of Education Programme Purity Kinoti said building the capacity of the boards was part of the organisation's efforts to improve the standards of education in communities around the conservation area.
"We brought together the school's boards of management to enhance their capacity, so that we can manage our schools better and raise education performance," Mr Kinoti said.
Ms Kinoti said the training focused on strengthening effective leadership and management of resources that Lewa had provided the institutions to improve school performance.
She said the organisation supports 28 in the development of infrastructure, education tools and bursaries, benefitting up to 10,000 learners annually.
"Our engagement with the schools includes infrastructure development, bursaries and building the capacity of teachers and boards of management. We can provide the resources, but we cannot succeed without good management," she said.
Kinoti said they had noted declining academic performance in Buuri and Meru at large.
"That is why we brought together the school leaders together, to identify the reasons why performance is not up to the desired level," she said.
Engagement with principals and their deputies, and parents, has also been held.
"We want them to manage well the resources that they have, motivate teachers and ensure parents play their roles. As donors, we want the school's management to utilise them well, for the benefit of the learners."
Lewa built classrooms, dormitories, dining halls, installed digital learning facilities and other projects in the schools, and its officials want this to translate to better education outcomes.
She said that the research they undertook two years ago revealed that 44 per cent of the members of the communities around the conservancy were below 18.
"That means that if they are not empowered to have a good education, 44 per cent will be unemployed youths who will pose a challenge in the communities."
Ms Kinoti said: "We want to empower this 44 per cent to get an education and gain meaningful employment."
Buuri East Director of Education Jackson Nguyo, while lauding the conservancy for its educational initiatives, lamented that some parents were registering their children for various examinations but failed to guarantee class attendance.
"We have parents who register the children for examinations and then disappear, which is a big challenge. We are engaging teachers and parents, so that the learners remain in classrooms," Mr Nguyo said.
Morris Mutwiri, a board member at Mbuju Mixed Day Secondary School, said they were having challenges to achieve the 100 per cent transition rate, owing to the fact that parents lacked resources.
"We thank Lewa for resources that support education," Mr Mutwiri said.
Key areas covered during the training included effective and result-based school leadership, roles and responsibilities of boards of management, strengthening governance and accountability, and improving teaching and learning standards.
Others were conflict management within schools, building positive school culture and stakeholder collaboration, supporting student welfare, discipline, and academic excellence.
The sessions also examine common challenges affecting school performance, including leadership conflicts, poor resource management, low teacher motivation, student discipline issues, absenteeism, drug abuse, and other academic distractors.
"Through the training, Lewa aims to equip school leaders and BOM members with practical skills to transform school performance, strengthen governance structures, and create safe, inclusive, and high-performing learning environments for learners across the 28 partner schools," Kinoti said.
