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A staggering 851,045 children in Kenya’s Northeastern region are not attending school, the region’s MPs have revealed.

Legislators from Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties expressed deep concerns about the deteriorating state of education at a meeting in Mombasa.

Mohamed Adow (Wajir South) described the situation as nothing short of catastrophic, warning that the region risks alienation due to the crippling effects on human capital development.

“This region has long been synonymous with poverty and marginalisation, particularly in the education sector,” Adow lamented.

“The national government must step in and end decades of neglect, exclusion, and economic marginalisation that have deprived residents of their basic rights.”

Qualified teachers

He called for the immediate enforcement of Section 95(2)(E) of the Basic Education Act of 2013 to remedy the situation.

Adow also urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to deploy qualified teachers to the region to address an acute shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools.

He proposed that poorly funded and dilapidated low-cost boarding schools be revived, alongside strengthening adult education programmes to address the education gap.

Decaying infrastructure

Adow identified corruption, misplaced government priorities, and flawed policies as key contributors to the region’s educational decline. Lack of qualified teachers, poor funding, and decaying infrastructure have significantly undermined the region’s education system, he noted.

Farah Maalim (Dadaab) echoed similar concerns, lamenting a lack of educational infrastructure and teachers in the region.

“These challenges not only hinder the standard of living but also perpetuate unequal opportunities for our people,” Maalim said.

He urged the national government to address the critical challenges in Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties so as to break the region’s entrenched cycle of poverty.

Additional barriers

Aden Keinan (Eldas), chairman of the North Eastern Parliamentary Caucus, highlighted additional barriers to education, such as inadequate classrooms and labs, insufficient resources, insecurity, and a severe shortage of teaching staff.

“These factors have led to poor educational performance across the region,” Keinan noted, emphasising that the caucus would continue working with stakeholders to find lasting solutions to these pressing issues.

Mandera Woman Rep Umulkheir Kassim cited the impact of insecurity on the region’s education sector, revealing that many non-local teachers had left the area due to safety concerns, exacerbating the already dire teacher shortage.