By Mutuvi Janet
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of Garissa in partnership with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Education Ministry has launched an operation dubbed ‘Operation Come Back to School’ that seeks to ensure children go back to school.
The project will target over 6,000 primary school children in Garissa. Other beneficiaries will be from the counties of Marsabit, Turkana, West Pokot and Samburu.
Speaking during the partnership launch, FCA Garissa County Education Coordinator Saadia Maalim said the operation is designed to eradicate herding, poverty and early marriages which have been cited as the leading causes of school dropouts.
Data from the county education office reveal that over 166,000 children in Garissa have dropped out of school, 6,000 amongst them bring from primary school.
“Education remains the greatest equalizer,” she said, adding that there is need to invest in it to give children a chance to succeed in life.
She urged the education stakeholders in the area to have capacity building programmes for communities and tutors in the area and build up support to ensure quality education is accessible to all.
Maalim noted that the project will change the mindset of communities and encourage them to take back their children to school.
County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich warned that government will take stern action against parents who fail to take their children to school.
He urged education stakeholders to ensure the project applies to everyone to improve education sector.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we support this programme because if we don’t act now, in the next five years, the number of dropouts might increase to over 200,000.” Cherutich said.
Education officials, local leaders and officials from the children’s department graced the occasion.
