By Tsozungu Kombe
Tana River county Director of Education, Mr. James Nyaga has decried low enrolment of children in primary schools in the region.
Speaking to Education News from Hola town recently, he attributed the low enrolment of children in schools to severe hunger coupled with frequent migration of pastoralists who normally move with their school-going children from one place to the other in search of pasture for their livestock.
“Children do not attend their lessons as scheduled simply because of the drought that has resulted into hunger”, the county director said adding that the current hunger which is being experienced in the country has been caused by the prolonged drought which resulted in drying of various crops and pasture for animals.
Mr. Nyaga also said the prevailing drought situation has really affected learning in schools in the county.
Mr. Nyaga revealed that the children are currently feeding on porridge alone, since the Day Meal which is meant to retain pupils in school has been out of stock for several several months now, thus forcing the children to stay away from school.
He asked the national and county governments to help supply foodstuffs to schools to enable pupils to learn effectively.
He said the government will soon come up with a positive solution with a view of retaining children in schools.
He urged parents in the county to play their vital role of taking care of the education of their children, by ensuring that they take all their school age children to school without fail.
