Excuse me Sir, it's my turn: Neglected Nandi South school where pupils, teachers share toilets

 

A classroom at Nyinyira Primary School in Nandi County. [Edward Kosut, Standard]

In Kalenjin nyinyira  means to destroy by trampling, which is why the uninspiring fortunes of Nyinyira Primary School are probably, through a quirk of fate, tied to its name.

The lives of more than 150 pupils in this school in Nandi South are in danger as they imbibe knowledge in dilapidated structures following years of neglect

Located on the edges of the Nandi escapements in Bonjoke, the school established in 2014 has mud-walled classrooms, some falling apart, posing danger to learners and their teachers.

Nelson Koech, the chairperson of the school's Board of Management, told The Standard that due to the shortage of primary schools along the border of Nandi and Vihiga counties, residents initiated the school and registered it in 2014 as a public institution. “We established the school for our children who could not navigate rocky routes to the other schools,” he said.

All the classrooms, from Pre-Primary to Class Eight, are dilapidated, exposing the pupils to dust and rusty broken roofs.

The dry season is a blessing in disguise, as the learners can study without disruptions.

Classroom from the outside at Nyinyira Primary School in Nandi County [Edward Kosut, Standard]

The classrooms are congested, and some learners are taught under trees. What stands out as a permanent structure in the one acre is a church that doubles up as a staff room, with space for three classes arranged in corners. “Teachers share toilets with pupils; the one that was used by the children collapsed,” stated Koech.

The management says the school has not benefited from National Government-Constituency Development Fund and the capitation money to enable improvement of the infrastructure.

Last week parents protested dereliction from the government, noting that the school was registered and serves children from Vihiga and Nandi.

Mary Koech, the school's board secretary, claimed the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) was not achievable with the kind of facilities at the school.

Nandi Education Director Zachary Mutuiri said the school was registered and given a provincial certificate, but there was no follow-up to ensure they met learning standards.

He said the provisional certificate given in 2014 expired after one and half years. “The school has not benefited from any financial support since then. For institutions to be registered, they should have permanent structures,” he said.

He said Education officers had been dispatched to assess the school and other schools said to be abandoned locally, and that the fate of the school would be determined once the report is concluded.

Education CS Prof George Magoha, while assessing the CBC classrooms projects in Nandi, directed the county Education officers to survey the schools along the Nandi escapements, as some were missing in the Geographic Information System of the government.