Secondary school abandoned, It has never enrolled a student since construction was finished Four primary schools surround it

A building at Kiwalani Secondary School in Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam, which has lain literally abandoned for several years now reportedly because not even a single student has been selected to study there. Our roving photographer captured the scene yesterday. (Photo: Omar Fungo)

A Ward secondary school built at Yombo- Kiwalani in Dar es Salaam under the secondary school education programme lies idle since 2007 for lack of students, thus attracting vandals who have stripped it of its vital fixtures.

The Guardian team which visited the partially built school found out that no students were enrolled there despite four classrooms, laboratory building, staff room and toilets being ready and its being in the proximity of four primary schools.

The students from the four primary schools could have been enrolled at the abandoned school, but are instead forced to attend schools far from their home.

Residents near the school blamed the government for misuse of resources used to construct the school which is now abandoned, with windows, doors and other important fixtures stolen by vandals.

A resident of Yombo Matangini, Mzee Kabale said the area where the school has been constructed was not proper as it became waterlogged when it rained.

“At the beginning when we were informed about the construction of the school we were surprised …but because it was to meet our long time need to have a secondary school in the area, we agreed with the idea, expecting that they would use qualified contractors to do the job…,” he said.

Ramadhani Kimosa, a “local” security guard at Kiwalani Primary school, claimed to have volunteered for the work, to keep out youths and children who damaged the building.

“I have been guarding here since 2005, hoping that one day my children will be among others attending this school. I couldn’t stay aside and watch while things went wrong…our children are suffering by having to study far from home, while we have a school nearby,” he said.

He added: “A lot of money has been spent for the construction of this school, yet it has been turned into a hiding place for robbers and playground for children.”

Kiwalani ward executive officer Adeltus Kazinduki told The Guardian that he knows nothing about the construction f the school because when he started work last year, he learnt that documents on the project had been burnt.

“This project is not implemented by my office. The right person to speak to is the ward councilor who participated in the full council meeting which discussed various development projects including the construction of secondary schools,” he said.

He added: “We all wish the school to operate as the country is facing shortage of classrooms …once the construction is completed we will not send our children to schools which are far.”
For his part, Kiwalani ward councillor Said Kitambulio attributed the delay to complete construction of the school to lack of funds.

He said about 39m/- had been spent during phase one of the project and that additional 150m/- was needed to complete it and repair the rooms which have been vandalised and to remove the stagnant water.

Speaking on the stagnant pool of water, he said: "When construction of the school started we dug a trench to drain the water from the area, but after only six months, people who live near the school started throwing garbage into the trench, thus blocking it.

The government established ward based community school under secondary school education programme with the aim of increasing the number of students pursuing secondary school education. However the schools have been facing a number of challenges including shortage of teachers, classrooms and leaning materials.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN