Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
When he was posted to Serani Secondary School in Mombasa County, Ali Mohammed was worried when his colleagues sent him messages telling him sorry instead of congratulations.
This is because Serani has been performing poorly in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations. But being an alumnus of the school, Mr Mohammed did not think the situation was that bad.
When he arrived at his new work station last year in the second term, he found less than 250 students of which 71 had registered as KCSE candidates. This was a big constrast to his former school, Kwa Bulo Secondary School in Nyali, which had a population of 650 students. Class attendance at Serani was very poor.
“Some 30 registered candidates had disappeared. I didn’t know them. They only surfaced during the exams. One student was even remanded in police custody and only appeared to sit the exams,” he said.
Mr Mohammed who has taught in various schools at the Coast for 10 years said that the candidates, who were always absent from school, got grade E in the exams.
“Education is not a priority for some of them. They feel they can make it in life without education. I feel so sad as a teacher and principal, because during our time the school’s performance was better,” said Mr Mohammed.
He together with his colleagues have enhanced discipline among the students, and the principal is now focused on improving the standards of the school.
Serani produced more Ds and Es in the national exams than Bs and Cs.
“A major factor which contributed to the poor performance in last year’s KCSE exams is absenteeism. Candidates who were not in school all got Es,” he added.
“Scoring an E means you walked out of school after four years without learning anything. I have tried to get the students who did not perform well back to school to improve their grades, but their parents are not cooperative,” Mr Mohammed said.
The principal has urged students to be focused, hard working and disciplined. He warned parents against pampering children and providing for them even when they become adults.
At Bomu Secondary School, the situation is no different. Thirty-one KCSE candidates vanished from school after being registering for the examinations. They only returned during the rehearsals for the exams.
When Mr Wilfred Motondi was posted in the school in Changamwe Sub-County, he found some candidates missing.
He began investigations on their whereabouts and also called the affected parents to inquire where the children were.
“My school had registered 119 KCSE candidates, unfortunately one died. But I was shocked to realise that 31 students had disappeared after reporting for first term, which means they had dropped out of school. I was so worried,” said Mr Motondi, who began searching for the students in their homes.
“I was able to get them, but I got a report that three candidates were expectant. They did not turn up for the rehearsals. I reached out to the other 28 who had disappeared and they returned to school.”
Mr Motondi and teachers at Bomu Secondary School began counselling sessions for the students. They found out that peer pressure and single parent families were the main causes that pushed students out of school.
The principal said that some candidates dropped out of school to take care of their siblings.
“These are boys thrust into the world of parenting after their parents’ divorce. They have been left with the responsibilities of taking care of their siblings and are forced to do casual jobs to provide food, shelter and clothing,” he said, adding that some parents do not follow up on their children’s education.
Coast Regional Education Director Lucas Kangongo said when inspecting the KSCE exams in various public schools, he found some candidates sleeping after writing their names. When he inquired why, some candidates said that they just wanted to get certificates.
At Shariff Nassir Girls Secondary School, three students will join university after attaining the cut off mark — an improvement from 2022 when only one student made the mark.
The school which had 117 candidates in the 2023 KCSE exams had Es. One registered candidate did not sit the exams.
“Education in the Coast region faces a myriad of challenges. Leaders should step up efforts to turn the tide,” said Shariff Nassir Girls Secondary School Principal Zuhura Omar.
She said some students are now focusing on making money using social media.
“Parents must take charge. Find out what your children are doing at school,” said Ms Omar.
At the Makupa Boys Secondary School, the first candidate got a D+ with over 20 getting Es. Tononoka Boys Secondary School registered more than 25 Es.
It is the same story in Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu and Tana River .
“Candidates return to school during exams. Some then fly to the Middle East to work, others become boda boda riders and touts. Some become drug addicts or join criminal gangs,” said the principal of a school in Kwale.
Kenya Secondary Schools Headteachers Association Vice Chair Mwanahamisi Omar blamed truancy for the poor performance.
“There is a lot of truancy resulting in poor grades,” Ms Omar, who is Mama Ngina Girls High School in Mombasa Chief Principal, said.
Technical University of Mombasa Vice Chancellor Prof Laila Abubakar urged Coast parents to invest in their children’s education. Prof Abubakar and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi have been pushing for better educational standards in the region.
“Parents from the Coast region must change their attitudes, their priorities are upside down. Some can buy a nice dress for a wedding but cannot afford to pay a minimal amount for the education of their children,” said Prof Abubakar.
