Tharaka Nithi County Director of Education (CDE) Bridget Wambua has praised private schools for their dedication to tree planting and ecosystem restoration initiatives.
During an inspection tour at Achievers High School in Chuka, Ms. Wambua acknowledged the private schools’ compliance with the government’s directive aimed at mitigating climate change and achieving the goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
“My office is on a follow-up mission to ensure schools are engaged in tree planting and growing exercises as mandated by the government. I can confirm that schools, including those privately owned, have embraced the program, and we are on course to attain our target as a county. Private schools have supplemented the exercise, and we thank them for their contribution, including adhering to government guidelines,” she said.
Ms. Wambua encouraged teachers and students to continue planting trees, noting that many schools face challenges due to limited space. She urged stakeholders to support the initiative by providing land and recommended that schools use public land for tree planting activities.
“We have a small challenge with land since most schools have limited space. They are free to use public land and other areas as advised by stakeholders to plant and grow trees in line with climate change and environmental conservation,” she said.
Ms. Wambua emphasized that the exercise is ongoing and should be embraced by schools, especially those with access to water. She revealed that each teacher has a target to plant and grow 30 trees annually, while each student is expected to plant 4 trees within the same period.
Kenya Private Schools Association Chairperson in Tharaka Nithi County, Mrs. Caroline Muthoni Gitari, thanked the government for involving private education providers in the tree planting initiative. She committed to providing quality education and championing environmental conservation.
Mrs. Gitari, who is also the Director at Achievers High School, noted that private schools are engaged in environmental conservation programs to empower students and locals through training.
“We have programs where we teach the community about the need to conserve the environment. In addition, we invite them to tree planting activities and collaborate with them to combat climate change. Through our Environmental Club, the students are provided with relevant skills to take care of the environment,” she said.
The State Department of Basic Education aims to plant 200 million tree seedlings annually across the 24,000 public primary schools and 9,130 public secondary schools in the country.
