Precious Talents Academy not an exception in the locality

Following the collapse of a classroom at Precious Talents School in Ngando Ward, Dagoretti South on Monday, there are concerns that it is just a matter of time before similar incidents are reported in other institutions in the area. 

A visit to the area yesterday revealed how the structures of most private schools are substandard, with the walls of classrooms and other buildings mostly made of corrugated iron sheets or timber.

Parents who talked to People Daily said private school owners, keen to accommodate as many pupils as possible, often put up temporary, and often, unsafe structures.

“For us, this is a normal situation since we do not have any other place to take our children. Public schools are few and far between around here,” Henry Nyabuto, who has lived in Dagoretti for more than 20 years, told People Daily yesterday.

A few metres from Precious Talents School is a secondary school which, Nyabuto said, mainly depends on funding from non-overnmental organisation. The school has a population of about 500 students. 

Its structures, made of corrugated iron sheets, appear too weak to withstand a strong wind.

Dismal performance

“This is a disaster in waiting. The owner gets a lot of funding from donors but never thinks of investing in better buildings for the safety and comfort of our children,” Grace Njuguna, a parent at the school, said.

She said the school, which has been in existence for more than five years, performs dismally in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams with candidates rarely scoring anything higher than grade D+ (plus).

Many other schools in the area are in a similar condition.

After Monday’s tragedy, the government committed to build a public school in the area.

Area MP John Kiarie also promised to set aside  Sh10 million to develop learning institutions in the area.