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By Isabella Maua
Parents in Mt. Elgon have been called upon to ensure children resume their second-term school program in early May, as scheduled by the Ministry of Education.
Speaking during the funeral service of the late Beo Bucheche, who was a head teacher at Chemworemwo Primary School in Kaptama ward until his demise, Kenya Primary School Heads Association Chair in the region, Henry Kotut, emphasized the need for resuming classes as scheduled.
“Many parents in Mt. Elgon don’t take education with the seriousness it deserves, and this has greatly degraded the performance of our children. It is vital that all pupils resume classes on time and catch up with the CBC system as required,” stated Kotut.
He also emphasized that it is important for the children to undergo CBC up to Grade 12, where they will sit for the Kenya Basic Education Certificate, which will then determine if they will join the three specialties, namely: Arts and Sports, Social Sciences, or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
Donald Etyang’, the region’s Sub County Director for Education, further cited reluctance among leaders in the community to invest in educational infrastructure, hence the low quality performance, especially in primary schools.
“We are becoming a laughing stock in Western region, especially when it comes to primary school examinations; teenage pregnancies are also another alarming matter that needs to be addressed earlier in our girls’ lives,” he stated.
To reinforce Etyang’s statement, John Shikuku, an educationist and political enthusiast, challenged elected and serving leaders to unite in aiding the studies of needy students in the community so that they could secure their spot in the future and leverage others in society.
Bungoma County Chief Officer for Education, Nicholas Kiboi, on his part, challenged area MCAs and the scholarship committee members to perform their tasks diligently and accord the less fortunate the financial assistance they deserve.
“The county government has set 60 million shillings for scholarships, and by next week we shall be disbursing 135 million shillings for bursaries at the ward levels, so we expect learning to go on smoothly as planned,” Kiboi reported.