Education
Olekimuke Primary School in Kajiado County has benefitted from eight new classrooms courtesy of Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH). The school which has a population of over 300 pupils has been using dilapidated infrastructure with pupils forced to study in iron sheet classrooms.
Welt Hunger Hilfe in a bid to boost education standards and performance in the school constructed the classrooms and furnished them with desks and also built five latrines at a cost of Sh16 million.
Speaking at the school, Kajiado Deputy Governor Martin Moshisho said the new classrooms would ensure that the pupils are comfortable thus be able to concentrate on their studies and post good results.
“We are grateful to WHH for this project because this would have taken many years to construct. As a government we welcome all likeminded organizations that will help change the lives of our people,” said Moshisho.
Olekimuke Primary School Head teacher Amos Ole Moonka revealed that, initially the pupils could not sit in class for a whole day because of the status of the classrooms and the hot weather.
“We could not cover all the lessons from morning to evening, we had to take breaks at 11.00 a.m. due to the scotching sun and heat generated by the iron sheets,” revealed Ole Moonka.
He added that, with the construction of new classes, enrollment at the school has gone up.”The school population has always been 200 pupils but with the new learning infrastructures, we have received at least 300 pupils and I believe the number will increase as we progress,” added Ole Moonka.
Leah Minto, one of the parents of Olekimuke said that they used to be called every day to take their children to the hospital because of injuries occasioned by the iron sheets when playing.
“We used to be called every day to take our children to the hospital because they have been cut by iron sheet and apart from minor injuries teachers would go and rest at the tree shade in the afternoon as they watch pupils play in the field because the classes were unbearably hot,” said Minto.
Kajiado County Adult Literacy Programme Coordinator Mercy Njiriri said that pupils at the school now have a better chance of achieving their dreams and bettering their future.
“Our children from Olekimunke area will get a chance to join national schools and achieve their dreams because they have been given a chance to attend school,” noted Njiriri.
WHH officer Farida Juma said that they have also constructed a kitchen garden which has a farm pond to enable the pupils get nutritious food thus ensure school retention.