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Parents resort to fundraisers for school renovations

Kilifi County Assembly speaker Teddy Mwambire leads a fundraiser at Ziwani Primary School , on Thursday, April 4, 2024 Alongside him are Harrison Thaura (MCA Sokoke ward) and Elvina Karisa, the BOM chair Ziwani primary. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

By Farhiya Hussein | Thursday, April 4, 2024

They raised more than Sh400,000, allowing them to complete a classroom, renovate the staffroom, and fix the leaking headteacher's office, which had become uninhabitable.

Parents at Sokoke ward in Ganze constituency, Kilifi County, are organising fundraisers to renovate school offices, classrooms, and toilets, to improve the deteriorating infrastructure in local public primary schools.

The longstanding issues confronting schools, such as rundown classrooms, leaky roofs, and insufficient sanitation amenities, have been a cause for concern for students and educators.

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At Ziwani Primary School, a heavily impacted institution in the region, parents raised more than Sh400,000, allowing them to complete a classroom, renovate the staffroom, and fix the leaking headteacher's office, which had become uninhabitable.

At the ceremony, led by Kilifi County Assembly speaker Teddy Mwambire as the chief guest, it was noted that the government's pace in renovating damaged school infrastructure is too slow, causing difficulties for learning during rainy seasons and posing health risks.

Mwambire emphasised that parents cannot wait indefinitely for their children to have suitable learning conditions, so they intend to address some challenges while awaiting lasting solutions from the government.

"We have joined forces with Ziwani Primary School parents to raise funds for renovating its deteriorating infrastructure. Despite waiting for support from the ministry and exploring various funding channels like constituency development funds, we've faced a shortfall with no allocations. Therefore, rather than passively waiting or assigning blame, we've decided to take action during these tough economic times,” he said.

The area MCA Harrison Thaura warned that certain schools are at risk of shutdown due to inadequate sanitation standards.

He highlighted that decaying infrastructure and poor restroom facilities severely influence the health and learning conditions of children and educators.

Elvina Karisa, the BOM chair Ziwani Primary School aaddresses the media at a fundraiser at the institution where parents raised more than Sh400,000 for renovations, on Thursday, April 4, 2024 (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Elvina Karisa, the BOM chair Ziwani Primary School addresses the media at a fundraiser at the institution where parents raised more than Sh400,000 for renovations, on Thursday, April 4, 2024 (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

“I had a meeting with the principals of Dida and Kahingoni Primary Schools on Wednesday. The deteriorating condition of the school buildings, particularly those at Dida Primary School is worrying. There are worries that the school may face closure due to not meeting standards, attributed to the absence of toilets and the poor state of the classrooms,” he said.

The chair of Ziwani Primary School's Board of Management, Elvina Karisa stated that despite reaching out to local leaders for help, she turned to parents for fundraising due to delayed responses.

As parents unite to improve their children's learning environment, they hope that government engagement at both the national and local levels will solve infrastructure difficulties in Kilifi local's public schools in a methodical manner.