By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
Principal Secretary for Economic Planning Dr. Boniface Makokha has called for proper planning in schools through the construction of multi-storey tuition blocks to maximize space and ensure value for money.
Makokha said fragmented classroom construction was costly and often failed to provide value for money, urging schools and government agencies to adopt multi-storey complexes where land is limited.
The PS spoke on Friday while inspecting ongoing construction of multi-storey tuition blocks in four schools in Bunyala Sub-County being implemented through the NG-CDF.
“There is a need to emulate the construction of complex storey tuition block projects in schools in our country to ensure there is value for money and minimize on space. This will also help to create enough space in schools for other activities,” said Makokha.
He said the multi-storey concept could also help bring students together while creating adequate learning facilities, noting that the projects had contributed to increased enrolment and improved academic performance in some schools.
Makokha said his department was undertaking field visits to assess the impact of government projects on local communities and ensure that allocated funds were being used for their intended purpose.
“My work is to ensure the government plan has been done well, and the budget has been allocated appropriately as per the plan. Thereafter, I have to do proper monitoring to ensure that what was planned has been implemented and there is value for money on the work done,” he said.
He added that he had visited 15 constituencies over the past year and several months to inspect NG-CDF projects, saying the government would continue prioritizing field assessments instead of relying solely on office reports.
Budalang’i MP Rafael Wanjala said land scarcity in the area had influenced the decision to construct multi-storey learning complexes in four schools.
Wanjala said the projects at Peter Habenga Okondo Secondary School, Mundere Girls, Sisenye Mixed Secondary School and ACK Musoma Secondary School were nearing completion.
“There is scarcity of land, so we decided to undertake four major projects in our schools. Each storey block has 18 classrooms, three laboratories, a library and other offices,” said Wanjala.
He said the three projects at Peter Habenga Okondo Secondary School, Mundere Girls and Sisenye Mixed Secondary School were each being implemented at a cost of Sh122 million, while the ACK Musoma Secondary School project cost Sh124 million due to the nature of the soil.
Wanjala said the improvement of learning infrastructure in Bunyala had contributed to better academic outcomes.
“The level of education has been gradually improving as this year, we are taking close to 700 students to universities across our country which is an improvement compared to the other level.”
He added that students were now calling for the provision of school buses to further improve access to education and support learning activities.
