Mangororo: Shame of sorry state of public schools

Images of children sitting on stones in a flooded classroom at Mangororo Primary School in Kilifi has angered the country.

Dilapidated mud-floored classrooms with some pupils standing and others sitting on concrete building blocks, embodies the shame of the sorry state of public schools in Kenya.

One pupil is seen gazing, steeped in thought in the flooded classroom.

Their headteacher, Gertrude Nyambu told CItizen TV that out of the five classrooms, two are structurally sound and the rest are not.

“Children learn under the shade of trees, one room has both Class 6 and 7 pupils. The situation is dire…tunahitaji madarasa,” she said.

When Citizen TV visited the school, the flood waters had subsided , but shame within the compound was laid bear for all to see.

Patos Baya, from the school’s Board: “Hapa watoto wanasoma kwa mawe, madarasa hakuna madawati…hakuna kiongozi. Tumeona shida.”

Justus Mwarina from the Parents Teachers Association added: “Hata choo hakuna. Choo ni mbili tu kwa watoto 300. Walimu sasa sisi tunaenda kwa misitu.”

This is Mangororo ECD in Ganze, Kilifi County.

An additional class shall be constructed by end of this financial year to ease the learning of 55 pre primary students . 819 classrooms have been constructed across the County with some at different levels of completion pic.twitter.com/0iWDuyLBCp

— Kilifi Gov. Press (@gps_kilifi) May 9, 2019

Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire took to social media to respond to criticism on his county saying: “I am trying my level best to mitigate such misgivings in the constituency even the resources available can’t meet an abrupt action.”

“It should be put in proper records that Ganze constituency is still struggling to get its projects allocations for the 2018/2019 financial year from the NG (National Government) – CDF (Constituency Development Fund)  following some confusing realization from the previous regime. The NG – CDF has been asking us to utilize some funds meant to complete some projects from their records which are not on the ground.”

A CDF report for Ganze constituency for the financial year ended June 30, 2015 shows that Mangororo Primary School was allocated Ksh.2,000,000, the same amount disbursed, the cumulative achievement 95percent and implementation status ongoing.

However, five years later, the school has almost nothing to show for it.

The county government insists that the buck stops with the national government as this is not an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre.

The CDF is only meant to supplement what the national government is doing and as the back and forth continues, the schoolchildren in Ganze continue to suffer.