Kakamega: Parents at Vikutsa Secondary School in Shinyalu constituency have expressed concerns over the state of the public learning institution.

The parents lamented that the school has inadequate facilities, which might lead to its closure.

Led by Zacharia Amusala, the parents told 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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

Source: TUKO.co.ke