A Murang'a school closed over the increased use of family planning and contraceptives in the community

Mathareini Primary school in Murang'a. PHOTO | BANA

Using contraceptives and other family planning methods rendered an old school in Murang'a to face closure due to lack of children.

Started in the 1980s, Mathareini Secondary School has been a vibrant institution for more than three decades.

Today, the school has stopped all its operations. Whether or not the school will reopen its doors to learners in the future is opaque.  There are no students here anymore.

Before it collapsed, Mathareini had been on its deathbed for several years, which the principal, Mr. Patrick Kamau, admitted earlier this year.

“Low enrolment has been a challenge in our school, but we have put in place mechanisms to attract more learners this year,” Mr. Kamau said.

"The numbers dwindled so much that teachers demanded to be transferred to other schools by the Teachers Service Commission," a local teacher said.

When all the teachers left, the principal asked to be transferred too, to escape the embarrassment of a collapsing institution.

"We introduced porridge and lunch at our ECDE classes a few years ago to entice learners to our school. This method did not work," he added.

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"As a ministry, we rely on the community to bring its children to us to teach. When birth control is so high, we are the first stakeholder in education to suffer," adds Mr. Kagwa Kimani said.

The school by last year had only 80 children of which the majority were in class 8. 

The school which is in a rich community surrounding with tea estates is said to have lost hope. Family planning has been a thorny issue in the school.