Be proper mentors to young people – PS Raymond Omollo tells Nyanza educationists

HOMABAY Kenya July 2 -Amid the worsening attrition rates in Nyanza, Internal Security Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo has gone all out to improve education standards in the region as a strategic way of giving back to the society.

The PS has been holding a series of meetings with stakeholders to strategize on how to catapult the region back to the top of the country’s academic charts.

The charge features aggressive resource mobilization campaigns to equip schools and provide needy students with learning materials and financial aid.

Over the weekend, Dr. Omollo led Mbita High School alumni on a fund drive to raise Sh20 million to upgrade and modernize key facilities at the school.

The PS further challenged teachers to shun indifference and embrace empathetic teaching strategies in an effort to encourage improved performance among the learners.

He also urged students to maintain high levels of discipline, which he described as the base ingredient for academic and career progression.

Last month, the PS chaired a meeting with Nyanza dons drawn from various institutions of higher learning across the country and challenged them to step up and take a more engaged role in solving the imposing school dropout dilemma.

Dr. Omollo highlighted the plight of young dropouts, stating that it has led to increased violent offending and early marriages.

“These attrition rates are becoming worse each year, and there is a clear nexus between dropout rates and crime rates as well as social disadvantages. This pattern is also perpetuating a cycle of poverty among these young boys and girls,” he said.

During the meeting, the PS also spoke of a gaping social distance between the scholars and the young people, a trend that has limited the latter’s access to role models and support for academic development.

He said: “We have this gap between young people and our professors and doctors. It is a serious impediment to sharing of knowledge, ideas, and experiences, which are some of the critical components for intellectual growth and academic progress.”

The PS prescribed a data-driven approach to tackling the issue and present viable solutions. He urged the dons to analyze statistics on the rates of dropouts at every level, right from primary school up to higher education and, as a matter of urgency, propose strategies through which the problem can be upended.