Church-run school shut in State’s latest crackdown

Young Christian Munandu, Baby Class pupil, watches as stranded parents at the Royal Kings Education Centre, Eastleigh, Nairobi ponder their next move after the school was closed. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

A church-run school in Nairobi yesterday shut its doors after 13 years over safety concerns.

Royal King Education Centre, run by Deliverance Church in Eastleigh, is the latest victim of school shutdowns across the country since the collapse of Precious Talent School in Nairobi’s Dagoretti last year, where seven pupils were killed and scores injured when a classroom collapsed.

The school, which had 150 pupils, is located in a crowded residential area in Eastleigh, bordering the busy Juja Road.

Classrooms are tiny and poorly lit, with the four to five wooden desks in each classroom cramping up the already squeezed space. The first floor of the one-storey building is a row of haphazardly put up iron sheet structures, rented out to tenants who appear to share a toilet with the pupils. The upper balcony is a weak and unsupported concrete slab, threatening to cave in any time.

Florence Mathai, the Kamukunji Sub-county director of education, said they had closed at least 35 other private and community-based organisation schools in the area due to poor infrastructure.

Many parents are opposed to such closures, saying the schools offer quality education at affordable rates compared to many public schools.

While the school’s management promised to refund the parents fees, some expenses like the money parents spent on school uniform will be a loss.

Even though the Ministry of Education notified the school’s authorities of the closure on October 8, 2019 and gave the final letter of closure on November 22, 2019, the administration only notified the shocked parents yesterday.

“We have decided to close the school because we are unable to meet the requirements of the ministry,” said the school’s board chairman, Peter Kinyua.

He said the government wanted them to have a bigger space, more toilets and more spacious classrooms. They were unable to meet the conditions, he said.

Lazarus Gitonga, the director of the school, said the management failed to alert parents early because of school holidays.

In Nyanza, education officials said the over 200 schools affected by the State’s crackdown have not been re-opened. The schools lacked basic infrastructure, while others had employed unqualified teachers. In Homa Bay County alone, the more than 100 private schools closed have not been re-opened. Pupils from the affected schools had by yesterday been redistributed to other schools.

Operating illegally

Homa Bay County Director of Education Fredrick Muturi said they closed the schools by the end of last year for operating illegally.

Most of the schools were private institutions.

Mr Muturi said none of the closed schools has got approval of the county education board to start operating for the first term, which began on Monday.

In Kisumu, the County Director of Education, Isaac Atebe, said none of the 22 schools closed had reopened for the new term.

He said the ministry had directed that the affected pupils be distributed to neighbouring schools.

Siaya’s Director of Education Wamocho Khamala said inspection and closure of sub-standard schools would continue. By the time the exercise was suspended in Siaya to give room for national examinations in October last year, 25 schools had been closed down.

In Migori, at least 42 primary schools, most of them private, are still closed. In Nakuru, 54 primary schools were shut last year. They are yet to comply.

According to Ministry of Education rules and regulations, a school is registered if it has trained teachers, adequate buildings and infrastructure and a qualified manager.

Assessment is also conducted by education quality assurance officials from the Ministry of Education who notify County Education Board (CEB) for deliberation and after all the requirements are met, CEB gives mandate to county directors of education to issue the school with a certificate.

Some of the institutions shut down in Trans Nzoia County have been turned into rental premises.

In Uasin Gishu County, only one out of the 92 primary and secondary schools shut has been given the go-ahead to reopen.

Elsewhere, 15 schools will not reopen in Elgeyo Marakwet until they comply with set guidelines.

In Vihiga Constituency, more than 300 students were turned away after reporting to school following the closure of Chavavo Primary School due to poor infrastructure.

And in Murang’a County, 23 primary and secondary schools were ordered closed during the crackdown.

Still suspended

In Meru County, Director of Education Milton Nzioka said all the 340 unregistered schools which were closed last year remained suspended and the pupils were all distributed to nearby primary schools.

In Laikipia, education officials and administrators had closed Bridge International Schools in Likii and Ephma Academy in Timau.

In Nyeri, four schools were closed, with officials citing substandard structures, poor hygiene, poor sanitation facilities and unprocedural firing.

[Report by Gloria Aradi, Mercy Kahenda, Stephen Rutto, Edward Kosut, Osinde Obare, Eric Lungai, Boniface Gikandi, Wainaina Ndung’u, Jacinta Mutura, James Omoro, Mactilda Mbenywe and  Olivia Odhiambo]