Cheating death daily: Busy road runs through crowded school
At Goibei Girls, 1,800 students cross a busy road that cuts through their school 10 times every day as they move from one section to another.
It is a nightmare that administrators have lived with since the school in Vihiga County was founded in 1954.
On one side of the road are classrooms and the administration block and on the other is the dining hall and dormitories. The school is pushing the authorities to build a flyover for the girls.
Motorists and motorcyclists using the road that connects Shamakhokho, Serem and Gambogi drive at high speed, oblivious that there is a school there.
And there are no road signs to help regulate speed on the busy road.
As a result, Principal Rose Koech said, teachers and watchmen must abandon their normal chores and become temporary crossing guards. They stand by the road and help students cross safely.
Ms Koech said enrolment had shot up from 702 two years ago to 1,800 now following improved performance in the KCSE exams. The school's mean score was 7.89 in 2021, up from 6.4 the previous year.
"Goibei was among the first schools that were started during the colonial era. Being an extra-county school, students have come in from all over Kenya. The students cross the busy road at least 10 times in a day," she says.
She goes on: "Having 1,800 students regularly cross a busy road several times every day is tough. Vehicles and motorbikes plying the road speed and a flyover will help the school community."
Have had to transfer their children
Some parents, she says, had transferred their children because of fears about road safety. A flyover, she adds, would help save time and bring peace of mind.
She notes that following improved performance, all Form One students admitted to the school reported, raising the population further.
New structures are needed to enable the school to accommodate more students who will join under the Competency Based Curriculum.
"The influx of students has brought in a group of parents who are supportive. As a school, we will be writing to the Ministry of Education to put forward this agenda," Ms Koech says.
While there have been no incidents on the road, the principal feels it is time to build a flyover so that the school can focus on education without having to worry about the safety of students.
"We even have food being carried from one end of the road to another and this is making it very risky," she says. BY DAILY NATION
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