Vikutsa Secondary School Faces Closure over Poor Infrastructure: “Students, Teachers Share Toilets"
- Parents at Vikutsa Secondary School in Kakamega county are up in arms over inadequate infrastructure
- The parents fear that the school may soon be closed if issues, such as the lack of toilets, are not urgently addressed
- The school in Shinyalu constituency has over 50 students, who are reportedly forced to share toilets with teachers
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Kakamega: Parents at Vikutsa Secondary School in Shinyalu constituency have expressed concerns over the state of the public learning institution.
Source: UGC
The parents lamented that the school has inadequate facilities, which might lead to its closure.
Why Vikutsa Secondary School risks closure
Led by Zacharia Amusala, the parents told TUKO.co.ke that the school, which has more than 50 students, has only one latrine shared by both teachers and students.
The school also lacks adequate classrooms, despite serving students from Form Two to Form Four.
The parents are now calling on the government and local leaders to intervene and provide better facilities to create a conducive learning environment for their children.
“We need extra classes for our students and even new latrines because, as you can see, we only have one latrine block that serves both teachers and students. The school even has no kitchen," Amusala told TUKO.co.ke.
The school’s principal, Mwashumbe Mwombe, acknowledged the challenges highlighted by the parents. He, however, noted that the school is built on a three-quarter-acre piece of land, which limits its expansion to accommodate more infrastructure.
Mwombe further noted that teachers, including himself and his deputy, have been forced to use one of the four classrooms as their staffroom, office, and computer laboratory.
"The school requires significant attention, as it lacks sufficient facilities. My deputy and other teachers have been using the computer lab as their office. We need to improve the standards of this school,” said the head teacher.
He also admitted that the funding they receive from the Ministry of Education for capitation is insufficient to improve the school’s facilities.
Can CDF construct classrooms?
Mwombe appealed to the area Member of Parliament, Fredrick Ikana and the national government to step in and support the construction of new classrooms and separate ablution blocks for the teachers and students.
Reached for a comment, MP Ikana said his team had already been dispatched to the school to assess its needs.
Source: Facebook
He further stated that funds would be allocated to facilitate the construction of new classrooms through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
“I will make sure that Vikutsa Secondary School gets new classrooms. My team is assessing the school, and eventually, funds will be allocated to it,” the MP said.
The legislator also affirmed his commitment to supporting all schools within his constituency in an effort to ensure they compete at the highest level.
Hope for Vikutsa Primary School
Concerns over the state of Vikutsa Secondary School come just days after the MP managed to resolve a land ownership row involving the land where Vikutsa Primary School is built.
The school had been closed after a family owning the land demanded full compensation from the government.
However, the family recently allowed learning to resume, but insisted that the government must compensate them.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Rasto Wamalwa Rasto Wamalwa is a political and current affairs journalist with over five years of experience in broadcast and print media. I have worked in various radio stations such as Bk Radio, Mitume Fm, Khendo Fm and Radio Matumaini. I also served as a news correspondent at The Kenya Times, Countysplash newspaper and Shahidi online news. I am based in Kakamega county.
