By Amoto Ndiewo
Many schools in Tana River County are at risk of closure as families migrate towards grazing fields in Tana Delta sub county.
The county’s department of education is carrying out an exercise to ascertain the number of students and schools affected as the national examination closes in.
The county Director of Education Dr. Khalif Hassan noted that the ravaging drought had affected learners and schools in equal measure.
“Because students are bearing the brunt, we have opened low-cost boarding schools in Olosera, Bengale Mbalambala, Mororo and Weldena so that migrating parents can leave their children in school to continue learning,” he said.
Hassan urged parents who have moved to Tana delta to enrol their children to nearby schools, emphasizing that they shall be accepted even without uniforms.
He said that the issue had hindered completion of the syllabus especially for candidates whose national examinations was fast approaching.
“Sadly, due to parents’ decreased incomes, teachers employed by school boards are not being paid thus hindering syllabus completion,” lamented Hassan.
However, the Director encouraged head teachers to refrain from sending students home for failing to pay school fees and instead start a ‘food for fees’ program to allow parents to bring livestock and other farm produce instead of money.
Tana River County and the region at large has not experienced rains for the last four seasons resulting in the drying up of water pans in an arid region.
