Education expert: Kakamega Primary School was a tragedy in waiting

Education expert: Kakamega Primary School was a tragedy in waiting

Kennedy Echesa, an education expert says the Kakamega Primary School was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Speaking to Citizen TV’s Day Break, Echesa decried the learning conditions at the school saying the primary school has a population of 3128 students against a measly 73 teachers.

“I know this for a fact, and CS Maghoha can confirm, the school has a population of 3128  students against 73 teachers, you can already tell that this was a huge problem,” He said.

There are 51 classrooms in the entire school which means that every classroom may have more than the required maximum of 50 students per class.

In a week, Echesa explained that only three teachers are on duty, against the huge population of pupils.

This means that at some point, one teacher ends up handling a population of over 3,000 kids, single-handedly.

Echesa went on to argue that the chances of controlling the kids, especially during a crisis or a stampede is therefore slim if not impossible.

He was speaking on the backdrop of the school tragedy in which 14 pupils- a majority of them in class five- died during a stampede.

Kakamega Central OCPD David Kabena on Monday told Citizen Digital that the pupils, most of them in Class Five, were leaving their classes heading home when the stampede occurred on a staircase at around 5pm.

40 other pupils, some of whom are alleged to have jumped off the third floor during the bizarre stampede said to have occurred due to panic, were left nursing injuries.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha inspected the scene on Tuesday morning and announced that the school will remain closed for the next one week.

President Uhuru Kenyatta also sent a message of condolence to the families who lost their children in the tragedy and ordered for a thorough investigation to establish the cause of the unfortunate incident.

Tags:

Kakamega School killing

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories