Following a high number of dropouts especially in primary schools in Matete Sub County, education partners in the area have launched an aggressive campaign to ensure non-schooling children are helped resuming learning.
The campaign team steered by World Vision Kenya have learnt that the number of children dropping out of school in Matete Sub-County is on the rise which necessitated urgent stakeholders’ intervention.
Speaking during an education stakeholders meeting held at Lwandeti Salvation Army Church in Lwandeti location, Kezia Ouma World Vision Matete Area Program in charge of Child Learning said they were reacting to reports from the Ministry of Education that a number of school going children and others who had attained age of schooling were still at home.
She regretted that over 360 children had been identified in Lwandeti and Chevaywa locations, saying World Vision together with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, Coordination and the village opinion leaders have agreed to work as a team to ensure that the identified non-school going children go back to school.
“Today we are sharing reports from the village elders who visited each child in their homes showing why these children are not in school and we have received a total 160 children in the Lwandeti location and 200 in Chevaywa location,” said Kezia .
She expressed confidence that the identified education partners will ensure school going children who are at home enjoy basic education rights as per the constitution of Kenya and Basic Education Act 2013 which applies to all children.
Kezia said the partners will organize parent’s sensitization campaigns together with schools where the highest dropout rate is reported.
“We will also organize home visits where Case Management Criteria of each of the affected children,” she added.
Reports indicated that frequent school levies, child labour, negligence by parents and teenage pregnancy as some of the leading reasons children are not in school.
Erick Musyoka Assistant County Commissioner 1 Matete Sub-County also present in the meeting said World Vision is working closely with government departments to create awareness on child welfare, child education and poverty eradication.
He said the government will help World Vision’s ambition of ensuring no child is denied basic education as per the government policy of hundred percent transition requirements.
Sylvester Wanjala, official from the Ministry of Education Matete Sub-County challenged parents to invest in their children’s education as their education will develop the area.