Concern as hundreds of students likely to miss national exams

Hundreds of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination candidates are missing from schools with the tests set to begin in three weeks.

Headteachers and principals cannot account for the whereabouts of the candidates who neither turned up last October when candidates were recalled nor in January when schools reopened fully.

The unfolding situation raises fears that the number of candidates who might miss the examinations this year will be higher than in previous editions. KCPE and KCSE exams begin this month, but the tests for secondary students will spill over to April.

Read: 120,000 learners have dropped out of school in Northern Kenya

The exams were postponed last year because the coronavirus pandemic occasioned closure of schools for eight months.

A spot check by Nation across the country shows that, despite spirited efforts by the Ministry of Education and that of Interior and Coordination of National Government to trace learners after the long break, thousands are yet to go back to school.

Some of them have dropped out altogether, although government officials were cagey about releasing the official data.

Some of the candidates failed to report back when schools partially reopened in October, while others did not show up when they were recalled in January.

Investigations by the Nation indicated that, many of the missing girls got married, have given birth, or are currently pregnant.

Seek employment

Boys were said to have mostly dropped out to seek employment in casual labour, with the bodaboda sector being the most blamed for luring them away from school.

Schools heads associations and union officials contacted said they also do not have the data.

The North Rift region appears to be the most affected where boys are reported not to have gone back to school after undergoing circumcision.

In Baringo South Sub-county, about 20 KCSE candidates and an unknown number of KCPE candidates are yet to report to school since learning institutions reopened last month.

Dripping in wealth

A report by the county health and education department indicates that over 7, 600 girls got pregnant when schools closed last year.

According to Marigat Sub-county Director of Education George Okeyo, 11 boys and seven girls who are due to sit their KCSE exams are absent from school.

Some of the boys, who dropped out, are said to be operating bodabodas in the region.

“All the Standard Eight candidates are back in school. The challenge is in secondary schools, where some boys dropped out and opted to operate bodaboda, while the seven girls are either pregnant or nursing their babies,” Mr Okeyo said.

In insecurity-prone Kapedo in Tiaty Sub-county, some of the KCSE and KCPE candidates who fled the ongoing disarmament operation to recover illegal arms are yet to report back in school.

“We don’t have the exact number of candidates, who are yet to report since reopening of schools, but head teachers and principals are in contact [with them] to ensure that they come and do the exams,” Mr Peter Magiri, the Turkana County Director of Education said.

The education boss said officials have established that a sizeable number of girls are yet to report to class, but measures have been put in place to ensure pregnancies don’t lead to school dropouts.

In Nandi County, 193 KCPE candidates who are pregnant and 313 others in secondary have not gone back to school.

However, the county commissioner, Mr Geoffrey Omoding, said that, arrangements have been put in place for them to sit the national examinations.

In Samburu County, more than 5,000 learners are yet to resume studies. The high number of missing candidates is attributed to teen pregnancies, moranism and female genital mutilation.

Not yet resumed

However, the county director of education, Mr David Koech, said they are yet to get the exact number of candidates who are away.

“We’ve not sampled the exact number of those candidates who have not yet resumed studies. But from our data, it is clear that a satisfactory number of candidates returned to school,” Mr Koech said.

Data from the education department indicates that, 3,806 primary school pupils are yet to report back, while 922 others in secondary school are missing.

In Narok County where over 15,542 pregnancies were reported among teenagers aged between 15 and 19 years for the last one year, officials admitted they have not isolated data on candidates from the rest.

“We’re not having their numbers yet,  but we’re tracing their whereabouts,” County Director of Education Jane Njogu said.

At Chavakali Boys, the principal, John Kuira, said four candidates are not in school.

Two had not reported to Nduru Girls High School, according to the principal, Ms Grace Oduor.

The Tana River County Department of Education is trying to trace five candidates, who abandoned school weeks ahead of the national exams.

According to Director of Education James Nyagah, the students had reported to school, but later on stopped attending classes.

“We have so far traced one girl, who got married. We’ve talked with her and her parents, but she is adamant that marriage comes first,” Mr Nyagah said.

In Mandera, the county director of education, Mr Adan Roble, said that, any information regarding missing candidates will only be shared after a national briefing scheduled for March 4.

This year has record enrolment — 1,187,517 candidates — registered for the KCPE examination, and 751,150 for the KCSE.

Reporting by Florah Koech, Sammy Lutta, Barnabas Bii, Tom Matoke, Geoffrey Ondieki, George Sayagie, Waikwa Maina, Steve Njuguna, Stephen Oduor, Derick Luvega, Ian Byron and Benson Ayienda, Manase Otsialo and Geoffrey Ondieki