During the North Imenti Constituency’s public participation, requests for new and renovated school and security infrastructure were prioritized for funding by the National Government Constituency Development Fund in the 2024/2025 financial year.
The majority of the school heads who attended the event insisted on the construction of new Junior Secondary School classrooms, especially those that will accommodate learners heading to grade nine next year.
Public schools in Meru Municipality are overcrowded, with no vacant classrooms for learners to be accommodated when schools open next year.
They insisted that the majority of the public schools especially within the Meru Municipality were overpopulated and there were currently no vacant classrooms to hold the learners once the schools are opened next year.
“Currently we have 324 students in Grades one to six, 99 in grade seven, and 62 in grade eight. We are however expecting more enrolment considering that there is an emerging trend where parents are withdrawing their children from private to public schools due to hard economic times.”
“As a result of this, we wish that the existing four classrooms be upgraded so we can accommodate the anticipated numbers,” said Ms Eva Gichuru, Meru Primary School head.
Other head teachers wanted perimeter wars erected around their institutions arguing that there were rampant cases of intruders who were destroying school property and leaving the institutions at a loss.
Ms. Jane Mutonga from DEB township primary school has urged the NGCDF Committee to seriously consider her case regarding unauthorized entry and theft of electronic gadgets.
In response to this, area Member Parliament Rahim Dawood called on the school heads to submit their bill of quantities and the size of the perimeter walls they wanted in terms of meters for consideration.
On the issue of security, the outstanding cases concerned water and electricity connection, construction of Assistant Commissioners, Chiefs and Assistant Chief’s offices in various stations as well as equipping them with furniture.
On this, Dawood noted that there were stations that were allocated money for the renovation of their offices as well as fencing them, yet it was still lying in accounts.
“The individual is requested to promptly address any funds that hinder their use within the next two weeks or risk having them re-allocated to other functions,” said the MP.
He said he will sit with his committee to consider all the proposals and report back especially those that will be done immediately and those that will have to wait considering the resources available.
However, the MP noted with concern that the constituency was in dire need of about 30 classrooms to accommodate grade nine learners urging the government through the Ministry of Education to move with speed and allocation of funds for the same.
By Dickson Mwiti