CS Machogu decries low Junior Secondary transition in Kilifi, Kwale
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang at the 1st Biennial Kenya Universities Funding Conference in Mombasa on February 23,2023.
Top Ministry of Education officials will in the coming week pitch camp at the Coast to mop up thousands of learners who are yet to transit to Junior Secondary Schools and Secondary Schools almost a month after their counterparts began classes.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Thursday said he will lead the exercise together with his counterpart from the Ministry of Interior and Administration of National Government to ensure all children are in school.
He said Kwale and Kilifi are among the counties lagging in transition with many learners still stuck at home as their counterparts continue with learning.
“I am at the Coast together with my Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang to monitor the registration of our students in junior secondary. Education particularly at the basic level is free and compulsory which is why we are insisting on 100 per cent transition,” Mr Machogu said.
The CS said they will involve National Government Administration Officers including chiefs and county commissioners from the two counties to mop up the learners.
“Nationally, we are at 95 per cent but in Kwale and Kilifi, 30 per cent of their learners are yet to transit to junior secondary school. The parents are slow to transition their children to junior secondary schools saying there is still time. The children are doing house chores at home, that’s why we have embarked on the mop-up assignment,” he added.
In Kilifi, more than 700 candidates who sat for the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams and got over 350 marks and above are yet to join secondary schools almost a month after their counterparts reported to high schools.
Last week, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro underscored fears over massive school dropouts of bright children in his county urging parents to take the students to school.
Mr Mung'aro launched a rapid response initiative to mop up the students and enrol them into secondary schools as his administration plans to set aside Sh1 billion for bursaries.
“From our data, we have over 700 KCPE candidates who got 350 and above marks yet to join secondary schools. But we are making plans to ensure they all join secondary schools very soon,” said Mr Mung’aro.
He said his administration is tracking all the 2022 candidates in partnership with education stakeholders to ensure there are no dropouts.
“It is sad that there is no data on the number of children who benefitted from the county bursary in the last 10 years. But I am putting up a computerised system to track all the KCPE candidates up to the university level to ensure they benefit from bursaries,” he said.
Some 103 students have also been sponsored by the New Life Church under Pastor Ezekiel Odero.
Some commercial banks with offices in Kilifi county have also sponsored 316 KCPE candidates.
The county government also partnered with Mombasa Cement Ltd to take children back to school and further boost infrastructure in some of the dilapidated education facilities.
“We are partnering with several investors in Kilifi to ensure all children who are yet to join secondary schools are enrolled,” he added.
Mombasa Cement Ltd official Mr Imtiaz Sayani said the firm will continue helping needy children access education.
Mr Sayani urged Kenyans to help the destitute families whose children are yet to join Form One and junior secondary schools.
