Public health officers from Bungoma have on Tuesday morning closed Mukwa primary school in Bumula constituency subsequent to their investigations revealing the school wasn’t conducive for students and teachers.
According to the school’s deputy head teacher Mr. Moses Juma, the officers had send a word of warning to the institution three months ago, for the school management to construct other classrooms for some of which the students were using were condemned but due to lack of funds that did not take place.
He said the head teacher of the institution has tried efforts to contact the CDF office Bumula constituency but in vain.
“The head teacher has tried his best visiting the CDF office almost every day to find out their progress, if they will help us put up another building but we have not gotten anything, so today the health officers came and closed down the school” he said.
The school that has more than 800 pupils has less than ten pit latrines used by both boys and girls, and the latrines are not in good condition something teachers say is a health hazard.
The school also has cracked walls that can be brought down especially during rainy seasons endangering pupils and teachers.
“The pupils in the school sit on a dusty floor, which contributes to a higher chance of jigger manifestation in the school, and again parents come complaining of buying school uniforms for their pupils every now and then because of sitting on the floor due to lack of desks,” said one of the teachers in the school.
Teachers too are not spared; they lack desks to use in the staffroom, saying sometimes it’s hard to mark pupil’s assignment due to dusty classrooms and for that reason forced to sit outside while marking.
Speaking to the Western chronicle, a parent of a pupil in the school blamed the area legislator for failing to help schools floor classes, “I wonder if we have leaders around, how can pupils sit on a dusty floor this 21st century surely?, the leaders we elect sleep on their job, the area MP has never helped us at all, such a thing cannot happen if he was serious,” said Mr. Kisaka.
The pupils will be forced to miss classes until further notice.
