Learners at Wasio Comprehensive School will soon study in modern classrooms and access digital learning facilities following the launch of a Ksh72 million education project by the M-Pesa Foundation.
The initiative, unveiled during a groundbreaking ceremony in Suna East Sub-County, is expected to transform the learning environment for hundreds of children while positioning the institution as a model school in Migori County.
Principal Secretary for Investment and Asset Management Cyril Odede described the project as a life-changing investment for generations of learners.
“We are here today for the groundbreaking ceremony of this mega project. This school was built in the early 60s, and these are the same buildings that were put up by our grandfathers and later on our fathers,” said Odede.
For the PS, the project carries personal significance. Having studied at the school and completed his primary education there in 1976, he said the transformation fulfils a dream that many former students never imagined would become a reality.
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“I want to thank the M-Pesa Foundation and Chairman Ogutu for answering our cry because we did not know that one day we would have a project like this. This is going to be a model school within Migori,” he said.
Odede noted that poor infrastructure had contributed to declining enrolment as parents transferred children to neighbouring institutions with better facilities.
“I expect that by the time this project is over, the enrolment of this school will go up because at one point we were losing students to neighbouring schools because of the infrastructure,” he said.
The project, being implemented under the M-Pesa Foundation’s Citizens of the Future programme, will deliver modern ECDE, primary and junior secondary classrooms alongside a fully equipped ICT laboratory.
According to M-Pesa Foundation Chairperson Joseph Ogutu, digital literacy remains central to the programme’s vision.
“The whole idea is that all learners in this institution should be able to interact with computers at the earliest opportunity so that they are prepared for a digital future and become globally competitive,” he said.
The ICT laboratory will feature 40 computers, internet connectivity, projector facilities and a high-speed printer, giving learners access to technology that is often unavailable in many rural schools.
Ogutu said the Wasio project forms part of a nationwide plan to modernize schools and improve learning outcomes.
“As part of this initiative, M-Pesa Foundation is committing to do 500 schools across the country over the next five years. That is about 100 schools every year up to 2030,” he said.
In addition to classrooms and ICT facilities, the school will receive modern furniture, fire safety equipment and energy-saving cooking stoves to strengthen the school feeding programme.
“For many schools we visit, we find that the best meal learners get is the one they receive in school. We therefore hope the community will support the feeding programme so that learners can remain in school and continue learning comfortably,” said Ogutu.
The project is expected to be completed within nine months, providing learners in Suna East with a modern learning environment designed to prepare them for the demands of a digital economy while improving access to quality education.
By Kimutai Langat
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