Poor tea earnings, coupled with harsh economic times, are gradually affecting the education of school-going children in the tea-growing areas of Nandi County.
Education News has established that hundreds of students are being sent home daily to look for school fees.
A number of parents who spoke to this publication lamented what they described as dwindling tea prices, which have made it difficult for them to support their children’s education.
“We no longer earn what we used to from both private and multinational factories,” lamented Yussuf Lagat from Kapsabet Town.
It is reported that some tea factories have resorted to paying farmers between KSh19 and KSh21 per kilo of tea delivered, before deductions for transport and cess. This is said to have increased production costs, leaving farmers with very little as take-home earnings.
Most parents who depend on tea farming are said to have a hard time ensuring their children remain in school, as they are frequently sent home due to outstanding school fees.
A school administrator from one of the senior schools, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the situation as dire.
“Since January, parents have not cleared first-term fees, a situation that is forcing us to send students home,” he said.
In a related development, the Nandi County Government has been blamed for delays in the release of bursaries after the successful vetting and identification of beneficiaries two months ago.
Speaking at Maraba in Tinderet Sub-county, one of the parents whose child had benefited from the bursary programme decried the slow pace at which the administration was handling the matter.
READ ALSO: Schools shut, families displaced: How tea mechanization in Kericho and Bomet is crushing education
“I thought it would not take this long. I had promised the school principal that my child would stay at home for only one month, but I have now been forced to sell my only cow,” said Jane, a parent with a child in one of the day schools in Tinderet.
By Meshack Cheers.
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
>>> Click here to stay ahead with the latest national news.
