Hillside Endarasha Academy, located in Kieni constituency, is scheduled to reopen its doors on Wednesday next week, approximately one month after a devastating dormitory fire claimed the lives of 21 pupils.
The tragic incident, which occurred on the night of September 5, also left more than a dozen other students with injuries. As of now, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Jane Njogu, the Nyeri County Director of Education, provided an update on the situation during a visit to the school on Thursday. She reported that the institution has undergone extensive renovation, with repair work nearing completion.
Initially, there were plans to resume classes on Monday, but based on advice from the contracted construction workers, who indicated they would still be finalizing details, the reopening date was pushed to Wednesday.
“They are moving very fast; they are working 24/7 – they have done a lot of constructions and reconstructions to ensure that the learners are comfortable when they come back to school,” Njogu said.
The decision to reopen the school follows a thorough assessment by quality assurance officers from the Ministry of Education, who have given the school’s safety standards their approval.
Njogu explained that while Monday was the original target for reopening, the construction team expressed confidence in completing their work by Wednesday.
“Though we had decided that the school reopens on Monday, the fundis are convinced that by Wednesday, they will be through. So we have settled on Wednesday so even if they complete before Wednesday, the school will take time to reorganize themselves,” she added.
Njogu acknowledged the growing concern among parents regarding the school’s reopening, particularly in light of ongoing end-year assessments. To address these concerns, education officials decided to visit the school and provide reassurance.
“When they started asking questions, we decided to come here and reassure them that all was well. We’ve been sending teams to come and do assessments and we’ve looked at their recommendations against a checklist and we realized that the school is in top gear,” she said.
The timing of the reopening is particularly crucial for candidates preparing to take their KAPSEA examinations. Njogu confirmed that those scheduled for assessments would proceed as planned, with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) portal already operational.
“Those that are sitting assessments will just go on because the Knec portal is already open,” Njogu stated.
According to the Ministry of Education, Hillside Endarasha Academy has a total student population of 824, comprising 402 boys and 422 girls. The dormitory that was engulfed in flames had a capacity of 156 and housed 152 boys on the night of the tragic fire.
This reopening marks a big step in the recovery process for the school community following the heartbreaking incident that shook the nation last month.
