By Osborne Ben
The Jack and Jill Primary School in Trans Nzoia has heightened efforts to promote hands-on learning experience in line with the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC).
One of the key areas that the school management has focused on is nurturing its learners to be environmental conservationists through planting of trees from time to time.
To commemorate this year’s World Environment Day, the school spent the better part of the international day planting trees at one of the gazetted forests on the outskirts of Kitale town at Meru Farm.
“We have planted more than 200 trees in our efforts to conserve the environment. We are aware that there is a need to replace trees that are cut,” said Tracy Anyango, a class eight pupil at the school.
The school director Mr. Pinto Nelson Atudo said the tradition is critical in mentoring the young learners to be responsible for environmentalism while exposing them to a practical learning environment.
“The school has a culture of having an annual tree planting session to mark the World Environment Day. We have now adopted this part of the forest where we will be planting trees yearly, ” said Mr. Atudo.
Trans Nzoia County has surpassed the 10 percent for forest cover with a 13.12 percent while the national figure stands at 12.13 percent. There is a new target for forest cover globally from 10 percent to 30 percent by the year 2050.
Trans Nzoia County ecosystem conservator George Abuto said they have launched a crackdown on timber yards in Kitale Municipality and Kiminini township following an increase in cases of illegal logging in gazetted forests.
The crackdown follows a recent logging of several trees at Sikhendu Block in Saboti Forest Station which has so far seen one timber yard dealer arrested as part of the security operation.
