MP vows to transform constituency’s education sector

Malindi, Wednesday, May 24, 2023

KNA by Emmanuel Masha 

Magarini Member of Parliament Harrison Garama Kombe Tuesday vowed to transform the constituency’s education sector with a view to improving educational standards in the area. 

He said he would construct laboratories and boarding facilities as well as provide other essential facilities to match the standards in high-performing schools in order to attract learners from all parts of the country. 

Kombe was speaking at the Galana Girl’s Secondary School in Magarini division where he witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a modern dormitory that will cost the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) approximately Sh18 million. 

“We intend to build five other dormitories in this school with a capacity of 160 students each so that we can accommodate at least 800 students,” he said. 

The lawmaker attributed the low educational standards in the constituency to lack of a mechanism to retain learners in school due to poverty, but said he had agreed with local schools not to send students away for nonpayment of fees as he and parents work on modalities to pay fees. 

“The biggest challenge we have here is poor performance in national examination, and this can be attributed to the fact that students do not stay in school during the time they are supposed to be in school, but we have talked and developed a strategy that will ensure no student is sent away for fees in the constituency,” he said. 

Kombe said most schools lacked laboratories and said he would ensure that the facilities are in place to enable students to perform better in science subjects. 

“My target is to ensure that on the minimum, we have at least three extra-county schools so that we can also receive students from other areas, and this will come if we improve performance and infrastructure among other important things,” he said. 

Deputy County Commissioner John Thiong’o, who was the chief guest during the ground-breaking ceremony, echoed the MP’s sentiments saying the greatest challenge in the education sector is poor retention of students during school time. 

“You will find that the number of hours many students stay away from school are more than those they are in school, and I believe the having dormitories is one of the ways this challenge can be overcome,” he said. 

He called on parents to take their responsibilities seriously, especially in matters related to education, and urged students to take their studies earnestly in order to secure a better future for themselves. 

Courtesy ; K. N. A