By Amoto Dennis Ndiewo
Low enrolment and perennial poor results posted in national exams from Garissa County have been attributed to miraa chewing.
Former County Executive member for Trade, Commence and Cooperatives Hajir Mohamed Dahiye said that the Miraa Bill seeking to govern the trade and chewing of miraa is ready for debate .
Addressing the press in Garissa, Dahiye claimed primary and secondary students often performed dismally in national exams due to Mirraa taking.
Dahiye further claimed that ungoverned ways of consuming and selling miraa has led to break ups of families as most men idle and neglect families’ dues.
Dahiye’s claims were refuted by miraa dealer Michael Angaine Michemi who argued that Meru county has more miraa chewers of all ages and still performs better than Garissa county in national exams and maintaining family ties.
Interestingly Miraa seller Batelo Geberfian , also conceded that miraa should be out of children’s reach.
Ahmed Khere, a teacher, argued that the idea of going abroad as economic migrants and mother tongue speaking in schools could attribute towards poor posting in national exams.
Wajir Deputy County Teachers Service Commission Director Ibrahim Sheikh challenged primary head teachers to take leading subjects in exam classes to show their worth.
Addressing education stakeholders at Garissa Primary Hall, Sheikh said secondary heads have rules governing the principal to take a teaching subject and explained that discipline was dictated by head teachers’ presence or lack of it in schools.
National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) statistics reveal that Garissa residents spend Sh2m daily on miraa.
