Schools with dilapidated infrastructure are set to receive a facelift following the government’s move to allocate Sh1.3 billion for their development.
The announcement was made by Education Cabinet Secretary (CS), Migos Ogamba, at Limbine Primary and Junior School in Tigania West, where he presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the school infrastructure improvement project funded by Safaricom Foundation.
The CS acknowledged that school infrastructure in Counties such as Tharaka Nithi, Tana River, Turkana and many others was in a deplorable state; however, it would be improved in the next two years.
He said the infrastructure development in the ministry was not done following lack of sufficient resources in the last few years.
“There were no figured for infrastructure development since there were no figures allocated for the same following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill. This year, however, we have allocated the Sh1.3 billion for this purpose and we are analyzing the neediest schools, including Tharaka Nithi County, which has a total of 42 such schools,” said Ogamba.
He added that all such infrastructure will be improved sufficiently throughout the country in the next two years.
“We are working even with our development partners and sponsors to ensure we support each other in that space so we can provide those classrooms needed and improve others,” said Ogamba, adding that the Ministry will continue raising more resources to ensure 100 percent infrastructure support in schools.
He thanked Safaricom through the Mpesa Foundation for partnering with the Government through the Ministry of Education in the improvement of infrastructure.
“This is the kind of partnership that we have been talking about as a Ministry because the government needs the support of all the partners and sponsors, including Safaricom and the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF),” said Ogamba.
Safaricom Foundation PLC Chairman, Mr Joseph Ogutu, said the improvement of infrastructure facilities is part of the Citizens of the Future program, an initiative of the Mpesa Foundation.
He said the Foundation will be renovating classrooms whose structures are still strong and also putting up new ones that are required to implement Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
“We will also be constructing fully equipped science and ICT laboratories and an administration block to enhance a good environment for teachers to prepare to teach our learners,” said Mr Ogutu.
He added that ICT and science are key features of the improvement program, because as a technology company, Safaricom is committed to ensuring that learners are properly equipped with digital skills to contribute to the digital economy.
“We will also put-up an ablution block for both girls and boys. All these works will be completed in the next 24 weeks, meaning that they will be ready for handover by November this year,” said Mr Ogutu.
He added that the Foundation was doing this in every County and the idea is to cover 600 schools for the next three to four years.
Area MP Dr John Mutunga lauded Safaricom for choosing the school in his constituency among many and supporting them in several other institutions including the construction of a Sh150 million Business Development and Commercialization Center at Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST).
“The support by Safaricom and the Ministry of Education to our learning institutions cannot be taken for granted. As one of those participating in development of infrastructure in education sector, I believe this is a major boost ever to the little we put under NGCDF,” said Dr Mutunga.
He said as a constituency, a step forward has been made in transforming all learning institutions from what they used to be to academies, a program they are terming to as academisation.
“We want to see to it that we are the best in terms of academic performance within Meru County and the entire country at large,” said Dr Mutunga.
By Dickson Mwiti
