by ISMAIL NOOR
Wednesday April 5, 2023
Wajir County MP Fatuma Jehow launching busary at Furaha Girl Secondary School yesterday. Image: ISMAIL NOOR
Wajir County MP Fatuma Jehow has challenged students to take up teaching courses saying enrollment is very low.
Speaking at Furaha Girls Secondary School on Tuesday, Fatuma said schools are understaffed and the gap of teachers needed is high in the region, a predicament he said needs instant intervention.
"In Wajir County, you will see an entire primary school with only three teachers. That is the main cause of our children getting low grades," Fatuma lamented.
Fatuma said she will introduce a bill in the parliament on salary increments for teachers so that the profession can attract students graduating from secondary schools.
"Today, we are launching Sh7.2 million in bursaries through the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) that is targeting to keep needy students at school," Fatuma said.
Sanbuley Secondary School head Abdinoor Billow urged leaders to invest in girlchild by increasing bursaries, providing sanitary pads, and investing in constant public education.
"If you do research, you will see stable families are those who have educated their girls. They are better at giving back to society than the boy child because they care more," Abdinoor said.
In February 2020, three teachers were killed in Qarsa, Wajir East constituency, by the suspected terror group Al-Shabab, leading to a mass exodus of teachers.
The exodus led to the closure of fifteen primary schools in Wajir East and parts of the Tarbaj constituency that border Somalia, which forced the schools to be taught by untrained teachers.
Also, Fatuma flagged off assorted food items for Iftar for 1500 vulnerable households that will cushion them in the holy month of Ramadan.
"I wish to encourage the good people of Wajir County to remember the needy in our community during this holy month of Ramadan. Among the targeted groups are inmates serving at Wajir GK Prisons, people living with HIV/AIDS, and people living with disabilities, among others," Fatuma said.