Financial constraints and insecurity have forced some students from boarding schools in Samburu County to remain in school even as their counterparts headed for the mid-term break on Thursday.
The parents' financial woes in the region are further aggravated by the prevailing drought, with many of them complaining that budgeting for their children's fare twice within the five-day break is close to impossible.
"Other than transport, I also have to send weekly upkeep to my other daughter studying at the Kenya Medical Training College. Educating our children has become straining. School fees are a direct cost but there are many overhead costs that strain us," said Albert Lekupe, a parent at AIC Moi girls in Maralal town.
Lekupe, a herder, further said that due to the ongoing drought, the livestock body condition is bad and they are not fetching enough money in the livestock markets
"This year has four terms and so is next year and in between, there are form one intakes. I think by the time our children will finish school we will be poor," Lekupe lamented.
According to Kisima Girls Principal Florence Aloyo, the school allowed 12 students to remain behind after hearing the plea of their parents.
"One parent from Busia told me that she could not raise the transport and sent the little that she had to sustain her daughter for the few days in school before other students return. I understood because a failure to report on time would compromise a very important aspect of learning, which is continuity," she explained.
The school head noted that apart from students coming from as far as Namanga, some students had remained behind because of insecurity in their home areas such as Baragoi
However, she added that allowing students to remain in schools during the break strained the school's resources in terms of providing student meals.
She suggested that it would be a good move if the government supported a bus fueling programme to transport students from needy families to and from schools to guarantee equity.
Edited by D Tarus
