Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR
AFRICAN SCHOOLS HEADTEACHERS MEETING.
MEETING
DATE; SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2018
MEETING
VENUE; MWINGI COTTAGE, AT MWINGI -KENYA
Present:
Stephen Kameti
TAS / KWS co-ordinator -SK
Abdirahman
s.Abdilahi
- HT Jarajara Primary School -ASA
Edward M.
Omao -
HT Asako PrimarySchool – EMO
Joseph Nzughu -
HT Mitamysi Secondary School -JN
Hellen Ndeti
-Secretary Mitamysi Sec School Trust
- HN
Moses M.
Mwangangi - HT Kaseluni Primary School -MMM
Lut Laenen
- Secretary Kaseluni Primary
School Trust -LL
Mohmed Hassan -
HT Boka Primary School - MM
Gill Marshall-Andrews
- TAS Secretary UK -GMA
Benjamin Mwanzi -
HT El Rar Primary School -BM
Victor M.Mwania -
HT Kora Secondary School - VMM
Apologies:
1.David Kombe
Secretary Jarajara and El Rar
Primary Schools - DK
2. Carol
Barton – Secretary Boka primary school - CB.
In
attendance:
Hon Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka - SKM ; attended for part of the meeting.
Days Agenda
1. Arrivals
and tea 10 am. - SK
2. Welcome
remarks, self introduction and taking apologies. 10.30 am - GMA/SK.
3.
Respective schools update 10.40 AM.
- Each Head teacher.
5. Update on
conservation days, Conservation posters and Debate Mate program 11.15 AM
.- GMA/SK.
6. Proposal
writing – good practice 12.30 noon. – GMA
7. Evaluation
/way forward. 1.45 PM . - GMA/SK.
8. Lunch and
departure 2.00 PM.
Stephen Kameti and Gill Marshall-Andrews welcomed the
group and thanked them for making the long journey to Mwingi. After that the
participants were encouraged to do self introduction.
2. Schools update by Headteachers.
Boka primary school
325 on roll including 155 girls.
8 TSC teachers.
Exam results were disappointing.
The banda is now complete and is being used. First use was a parents meeting. Parents were appreciative and now students
are using it. Contractor waiting for
second payment of 45%.
HT indicated that the mass of new education policies
and information requirements were very onerous and meant that he had to be away
from school a great deal.
Kaseluni primary school
141 on roll including 70 girls
5 TSC teachers
KCPE Mean Score
181. 10 candidates including 6 girls.
Completed
project this year.
45 desks are in place.
Ongoing
project.
The 2 new TAS classrooms are nearly complete.
Funded
project to implemented.
A trip to Meru is being planned.
Education
day to be implemented 6th March 2018.
Mitamisyi secondary school
108 on roll including 64 girls.
Form 1 enrollment
26 including 19 girls.
KCSE Mean score 1.89.
Completed
project this year; Renovation of 4 classrooms.
Girl’s dormitory is full.
African Sand
Dams Foundation water project is still
on track. This is joint partnership
school community and ASDF. The school has 80% completed her part of local
contribution.
Asako primary school
222 on roll including 80 girls
Teaching staff: 7 TSC teachers and 2
BOM teachers.
60 boarders including 20 girls.
KSPE Mean score
163. 35 candidates including 17
girls.
The exam centre is 150km away which disadvantages
these students. The school community
requests the school to have its own exam centre; at the school.
Water is now piped into school and school plans to use the water to carryout tree planting project .
Challenges.
-
Bodaboda business.
-
Exam centre very far.
Project funded and yet to be implemented; purchase of
printer/photocopier machine.
Jarajara primary school
418 on roll including 205 girls.
3 TSC teachers.
National Youth Service are providing 5 classroom assistants – they are
not trained teachers but are helping with classes not covered by teachers. Recruitment and retention of staff is a big
problem.
KCPE mean score 282.
30 candidtes including 8 girls.
An extraordinary result given the circumstances. This was the best in the county.
Water has now been piped to the school. 100 trees have been planted and more are
planned.
300,000/- has been received from the World Bank for
books.
UNICEF NGO has withdrawn support from
schools in the county because of charcoal burning and poaching. ( THIS IS FOR
BOKA NOT JARAJARA)
Completed
project this year.
TAS funded Library
is complete and contractor waiting for last payment of 5%.
Kora Secondary School.
This is a very new school on the compound of Asako
Primary School. The girls dormitory
built by TAS for the primary school is now being shared by the secondary school.
72 on roll including 32 girls.
2 TSC teachers including the HT.
5 BOM
Teachers.
No classrooms.
Form 1 are taught in the primary school dining room. Form 2 and 3 are in temporary mud classrooms.
CDF have promised 3 classrooms this year and 3 next year.
County government have promised a bus costing 6
million Kes!! A bit misplaced priority!
HT uses one of the primary school staff quarters for
his office and living space.
El Rar primary school.
80 on roll including 18 girls
No KCPE candidates yet.
3 TSC teachers and 1 volunteer!
Last year there were 15 dropouts – all boys. County government has a programme to follow
these students and bring them back to school.
They have started coming back now.
Completed
project this year.
TAS funded kitchen and storeroom are completed. Contractor waiting for second payment of 45%.
3. Conservation Days
Plans are in hand for 2 events.
Mitamysi conservation day planned for Sat 3rd March
and Boka on Sunday 4th March.
It is hoped to get the wider communities to attend and also to get
Governors, MPs and KWS senior management to participate. Conservation films will be shown on big
screens. The media will also be invited.
4. Other conservation projects
Mitamysi students are clearing the market once a month
and some tree seedlings have been
planted. But water is a problem
so some die. The school is now giving
seedlings to each student to take home and tend them there. This will hopefully raise awareness among
parents and the wider community.
GMA brought 150
conservation posters for school classrooms which were distributed to all
schools. These were funded by George
Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust with input from KWS and TAS.
5. Debating
Gill described a possible debating project in August
to be run by Debate Mate, a UK based group which conducts debating workshops
and competitions in UK and elsewhere. If
it happens it would mean around 100 students spending a week in Mwingi in
August. There was agreement that this would be a good idea but that debating should
be started in schools anyway. MPs and MCAs could be invited to participate.
6. Way forward
1. WhatsApp
group
It was agreed that a WhatsApp group should be set
up. Edward from Asako Primary gracefly
agreed to do this. Thank you Edward.
2. Conservation
day mobilization.
Stephen to help in reaching the MPS, Governors and kws snr staff. This to be done in
consultation with respective school communities.
3. TAS headteachers meeting to be an annual event;
preferably meeting point to Mwingi.
4. Teachers to display Conservation Posters in each
class,the headteacher's office ,staff room and open display board for those who
have.
5. Stephen to supply more Conservation posters to
publi displays eg. Churches, county offices , chief's camps etc.
7. Thanks
Thank you to Stephen Kameti for setting up the meeting
which all agreed should happen annually.
The meeting ended at 2pm and lunch was provided.
