Alarm as new students stay away from Garba Tula High School

Poor enrolment at Garba Tula High School in Isiolo County has alarmed stakeholders who now want the government to help restore its lost glory.

The national school is supposed to admit 91 Form One students from all over the country, but, so far, only 30 have reported, all of them local.

The school’s Principal Henfrey Kirimi said no Form One student selected from the national list had reported to the institution.

The total student population in the school is 78 against a capacity of 320.

According to Mr Kirimi, the mixed school has the best infrastructure in the county.

COLLEGE SETUP

He said the institution could match a college setup due to its good infrastructure, but only one stream is operating instead of two, due to low enrolment.

“The Form One students we’ve enrolled this year are from Isiolo. The problem is insecurity. Parents and students from other counties feel insecure due to frequent clashes between pastoralist communities from Isiolo and Garissa counties,” he said.

He added that outsiders have a notion that Isiolo is in the north eastern, hence they fear they could be affected by terrorism.

Until the early 1990s, the school used to perform well in national examinations.

But for the past 15 years, its performance has deteriorated.

MEAN SCORE

In 2016, the institution had a mean grade of 2.3 (D-), which slightly improved in 2017 after posting a mean of 3.05 (D).

The first student had C- in last year’s KCSE exam.

The Ministry of Education had demoted the institution to a district school, only to elevate it back to its status two years ago.

However, it still performed poorly.

The other national school in the county is Isiolo Girls High School.

Mr Kirimi blamed lack of ownership by the community, poor entry marks, persistent insecurity and misconceptions for its low enrolment and poor performance.

INSECURITY

The school, which has 13 teachers, has been admitting students who score between 230 and 300 marks instead of between 300 and 400 marks.

Isiolo South MP Abdi Koropu blamed insecurity and poor management for the poor performance, saying there is an urgent need to overhaul the board of directors and board of management.

He added that insecurity has scared off potential students from other counties, saying over 60 percent of structures are not in use.

The MP proposed that the institution be turned into a college if it fails to perform well.

But County Commissioner George Natembeya dispelled claims of insecurity, saying this had not directly affected the institution but only pastoralists’ communities in grazing areas.

He called for a marshal plan to revive the school.