Despite having been started more than fifteen years ago Musembe primary school in Tongaren Sub County, of Bungoma County has been gripped with poor infrastructure and can’t compete with other well-established schools in the region.
In our tour of the school, we found lessons ongoing but the dilapidated buildings and makeshift toilets highlighted the situation in the school as the head Mr John Osale explained that the situation is normally worse during rainy seasons. He says since the school was built near a swamp, the classrooms are normally flooded during rainy seasons. He added that some pupils sit on the floor due to lack of enough desks, and they are forced to end classes earlier than usual.
“At some time this school was rated last in the country in the national examinations due to the challenges we are facing but due to the commitment and hardwork of teachers we have been able to improve,” he said.
Mr Osale disclosed that three pupils in Musembe primary school have also succumbed to pneumonia since last year saying as the classrooms are not cemented and some pupils sit on the ground it is unfortunate that they are at high risk of contracting the disease.
He said the Tongaren CDF gave out six hundred thousand shilling to them to purchase land at a different location for them to relocate but they have not been lucky enough to get land elsewhere as residents are always inflating the prices of land an issue that has made it difficult for them to buy land.
However, he says they have not been able to receive any other financial support saying with the population of over six hundred pupils in the school it is really becoming unbearable for them to handle the huge population in relation to the resources in the school.
He therefore called upon the County government under the department of special programs as well as the national government through the CDF kitty to offer some financial assitance to help children get quality education.
