is hardly quality time for learning before, and after floods. When the river bank burst, learning stops, as the society prioritises other issues”
(Principal E).
Reduced learning time affects the quality of learning. It is not easy to do homework in camps that have neither tables nor electricity. In fact, chil- dren are exposed to uncomfortable environments where they share one tent with the whole family. This is uncomfortable and definitely creates a climate of non-performance. Besides, there are many other ‘immoral’ acts happening in the camps, due to a lack of mechanisms to control adults in these camps. (Principal B)
We asked the principal if he believed a combination of (rurality) pov- erty and floods affected learning. “Yes, they affect learning, but there is a way learners can be motivated by things like feeding programmes, resources, and others. That is what I try to do and we excel” (Principal B).
Principal C stated that a lack of school resources/funds/learning mate- rials was related to both quality learning and achievement.
The FPE [Free Primary Education] funds allocated by the government are not just enough. For example, this term we only gave each learner four exercise books for the whole term. Putting in mind that we have seven subjects that means they have to buy the rest of the exercise books. If by any chance a parent fails to buy the books, definitely the pupil is going to be affected academically. Some might even give up and drop out. Though the government supplements FPE funds, the major source of extra income in this community remains parents who endeavour to bring food to school, hire extra teachers through the BoM [Board of Management] and donate property (e.g. pieces of land) to schools to ensure that their children learn.
In fact, 90% of parents in the locality are poor and mainly rely on farming rice, where most of the produce is consumed at home. Occasionally, the CDF [Constitutional Development Fund] comes in to put up classrooms or latrines after being consulted. I think I would have a bigger chance in the provision of quality education if I was not heading a rural flood-prone school where most of my time is spent looking for resources. I always feel I am not giving my school the right direction because the little money I get, I concentrate on how to maintain what exists instead of putting up some- thing new. (Principal C)
In 2011, the school lost almost the entire stock of books. These books were stored in a higher place, but still got destroyed due to the dampness of the room (poor infrastructure). Money is given according to the school popu-
lation. Not because you are poor or not. Our population is low so we get money according to the number of pupils we have. On the other hand, destroyed classrooms with cracks and potholes bring about other chal- lenges—jiggers being the most recent problem experienced in the school.
This forces me to seek assistance, which distracts me from my normal responsibilities. I usually go to the Ministry of Health in the county to get some drugs. We use pesticides that we spray but they [pupils] still carry them [the jiggers] home. We clear them here then when going home they come back with them from home. Linked to jiggers is the issue of toilets or latrines. It is one of the biggest sanitation challenges schools in the area face. If you go to the latrines that we have, you will see maggots coming out. If by any chance they contract diseases due to that, the time the pupil will use to seek medication, that time they would be studying. If the latrines are in that condition, the pupils will avoid going there and it affects learn- ing. In short, poor sanitation affects results. There is support from the gov- ernment in the provision of anti-malaria drugs and medicines to treat water in my school. But there is evidently more donor than government support, where the government either delays in responding or completely ignores calls for help. (Principal D)
The government does not consult on needs, but strictly allocates funds per policy. It would be better to give slightly more to flood-prone schools to mediate the relationship between equal opportunity, quality learning, and capability. When parents come to take refuge in school during floods, they destroy desks, they even damage the classrooms because they cook inside the classes. This means most of the classes are used as homes for the dis- placed. It would be good to get more resources for repairs. Most resources are misplaced. For example, if you had money for constructing the library then it floods when you still have that money, it might be directed to some- thing else that was not meant for it i.e. food. Schools lack enough resources and do not get help from the government. They, however, have to deal with other extra duties before floods. For example, for the preparation and reconstruction after floods, we work with the government and NGOs (Red Cross, UNICEF) to co-ordinate the provision of relief food, medicine, and nets to the people in school and camps during flooding. We also oversee the rebuilding and reconstruction of school infrastructures. (Principal E)
“We thank God for small structures and camping facilities given by the Red Cross or other donors.”