BY MUCERI MBAE
Education stakeholders in Buuri Constituency have been urged to work together to improve learning standards and secure a better future for children through quality education.
Speaking during a two-week training organized by Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the conservancy’s Chief Programmes and Partnership Officer, John Kinoti, said education remains the key pillar in transforming society and improving livelihoods.
Kinoti noted that every sector of life depends on education, including leadership, agriculture, and social relations, hence the need for all stakeholders to play their role effectively.
“The only thing that can elevate people’s lives is education. Leadership, farming and even how we treat one another all require education. That is why we hope all stakeholders in education will play their part,” said Kinoti.
He said the conservancy had partnered with government officers, teachers, and board members from 31 schools to deliberate on ways of improving education standards in the area.
According to Kinoti, the partnerships being created today will help future generations access better schools and quality education.
He further emphasized that environmental conservation and education go hand in hand, noting that protecting wildlife and forests should also involve protecting the factors that bring development to communities.
“When we protect our animals and forests, we must also protect what brings development to our people, and that is education,” he added.
Lewa Conservancy Education Officer Purity Kinoti said the organization currently supports 28 schools, benefiting more than 9,000 learners through various educational programmes.
She said the conservancy supports schools through infrastructure development, bursaries, teacher training, and capacity building for board members.
“We do infrastructure projects, provide bursaries, train teachers, and over 300 board members are benefiting from the programme,” she said.
Purity noted that despite investments in infrastructure, academic performance in Buuri Constituency and the larger Meru County has continued to decline, prompting the need for the training sessions.
She said the training aims to identify solutions to challenges facing schools, including proper resource management, teacher motivation, and parental involvement.
“We want schools to manage resources well so that students can fully benefit from the support we offer,” she said.
The conservancy has also sponsored 315 students under a new bursary programme that supports learners up to Grade Ten.
Purity said the training is important in ensuring the bursary programme achieves its intended impact.
She revealed that a study conducted two years ago established that 44 percent of communities living around Lewa Conservancy are children below 18 years.
According to her, failure to invest in education could expose the young population to unemployment and illegal activities in future.
“If the education of these children is not handled well, we risk having a large population without jobs and engaging in illegal activities. That is why we are investing in education so that they can become independent in future,” she added.
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