A number of parents and students are stranded following the closure of two secondary schools owned by flower farms in Naivasha.
Karuturi Secondary school last week received a notice of closure after the flower farm was put under receivership.
Three months ago, Oserian flower farm closed down Oserian Secondary School citing harsh economic times.
The move to close the two schools has affected more than 1,000 students in the densely populated area that has only one public school.
Now, the National Parents Association and the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union have called for urgent intervention to address the crisis.
NPA secretary general Eskimos Kobia said the closure of the school mid year year is worrying and will academically and emotionally affect the students.
He said South Lake area, which is home to a number of flower farms and workers, has only one public secondary school that is already congested.
Closure of Karuturi Secondary school is as a double tragedy to some parents who transferred their students from Oserian Secondary School in January.
“With the low wages that the flower farm workers receive, they are now expected to look for new uniforms and school fees for their children which is demoralising,” he said.
Kobia urged the Karuturi flower farm receiver-manager to give parents up to the end of the year so that the students could have time to sit for the national exams.
“The Form 4s are already registered for the national exams and one wonders what will happen to them when the school is closed,” he said.
KPAWU secretary-general Naivasha branch Ferdinand Juma attributed the closure of flower farms to the high cost of production.
Juma said majority of schools sponsored by flower farms are finding it difficult to fund the learning institutions due to the harsh economic times.
“We are worried by the continued closure of schools that have been funded by flower farms. It is time that the government engaged the farmers,” he said.
Juma said some of the farms have withdrawn transport services for their workers as part of cost cutting.
