By Mary Mwendwa
In the hot dry lands of Baringo County,Rift valley of Kenya , pupils at Lake Bogoria Primary School can now enjoy their education without darkness, thanks to the new installed Solar panels that help to light the school.
“This school used to have very poor performance in the their exams .This was due to challenges of studying at home and evening classes by many of our pupils. As you know this region many people are not connected to the grid and this has posed a challenge to many households who depend on lantern lamps where they buy kerosene for use. We decided through the help of well-wishers to install solar lighting in this school to help pupils who cannot get lighting at home to study in the evening. This has reflected in the normal exam performance where we have a good performance in this region. Our school will have pupils sit for the first time –Kenya Certificate of Primary Education this year, we are hopeful because we have seen great improvement in their school exams. ”Says Daniel Kiptek, Head Teacher, Lake Bogoria Primary School.
Leah Chelimo, a class seven pupil at the school narrates of how her life has improved since she came to the school as a boarding pupil.”Life at home was not good for me to study , I used to get home and be given a lot of work where I could not do my evening studies well, also there was no reliable lighting at home.Now I can read well with no interruptions and also no body sending me around. Iam happy for this solar lighting technology. “She notes.
According to Duncan Cherono, A solar technology technician, “I installed two solar panels with 60 Watts each which supply lighting to the classrooms and the boarding facilities in the school.The panels are solar charged as there is a lot of sunlight here therefore the pupils have constant supply of power .”
Duncan continues to say that he has helped many schools in the region install solar panels and even homes which are now enjoying benefits of renewable energy.
“We are not connected to hydro power here, but with solar we can do lighting and other activities like water pumping with ease. Solar lighting required money only at initial installation where the gadgets come with some costs, after that one is set to go unless there are some repairs here and there.”
Mr. Kiptek says his school has a total of 300 pupils, some are boarders and they are really benefiting from the solar energy. ”The solar lighting is used by these pupils during the night and also it helps us with the security lighting. You can imagine a situation where a school has pupils boarding and there are no lights to help them study and run other activities at night. Am glad that renewable energy is helping in education in this region. Iam optimistic if other schools embraced the same we will have improved results in this Bogoria region.”
“The solar panels costed around 100,000 Kenya Shillings including the labor and other costs of gadgets that were needed.I help in also monitoring and advising the school on the use of the solar energy apart from installing.We have seen great change here especially to the girl child education which has been low in this region.Girls can now go to the boarding school and study with peace”.Says Duncan Cherono , a local solar technician in Bogoria.
