Thousands of Form Ones missing a week after admission deadline 

Thousands of Form One learners have not taken their admission slots one week after the reporting deadline lapsed, prompting the Ministry of Education to intensify efforts to get them to school.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha on Tuesday indicated that some regions have admitted only about 60 per cent of the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education candidates, dealing a blow to the government’s 100 per cent transition policy. 

In the last briefing on Form One admissions two weeks ago, the ministry revealed that 10 per cent of the learners had not yet reported by the initial August 6 deadline, prompting officials to extend the date to August 13. The 10 percent absentia represents 117,000 learners out of the total 1,179,192 who sat the 2020 KCPE examinations. 

A spot check by the Nation indicates that while most national and extra-county schools have recorded high admission numbers, many learners admitted to sub-county schools are yet to report.

The Ministry of Education has not released the official overall admissions data.

“There are counties like Nairobi, Bomet and a few others who have reached a hundred per cent for this group but there also counties which are in their 60s. Most of these are in the Coast (region) and we must now go out and take the children back to school,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Interior, through chiefs, will assist in the mop-up.

Round-up of Form Ones

He was speaking during the release of placement results for the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. 

Prof Magoha will today kick start the round-up of Form Ones who are yet to report to school in Mombasa, as the Coast region is one of the worst affected. Education officials, together with other government officers, are expected to do the same countrywide. 

The 100 per cent transition policy is in its fourth year, but might be the most challenging after thousands of learners dropped out of school last year and this year due to impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Prof Magoha protested that he had been summoned by the Education Committee of the National Assembly to answer to questions regarding the policy. One of the questions by Nandi Hills MP, Alfred Keter, touched on the policy and inadequate infrastructure, following reports of congestion in secondary schools.

“Unfortunately, this morning I will have to go to Parliament to try justify it. Yet the results are quite open,” he said. 

When he appeared before the MPs, Prof Magoha said that the “ministry has been making regular interventions through funding under the Free Day Secondary Education capitation to enable schools maintain, improve and expand their infrastructure.”

At Kalimbiti Day Secondary School in Kitui West Sub-county, classes remain empty after only one learner reported to school. A teacher who spoke to the Nation revealed that they were worried and they will not have Form One students to teach.

Teenage pregnancies

“Only one student reported on the second week, after she realised she was alone, she stopped coming and transferred to a different school,” said the teacher.

In the North Rift region, some learners have not reported back to school due to poverty, insecurity and teenage pregnancies. A report from the county education office shows that out of 31,358, only 23,632 learners had been admitted to respective schools by Tuesday.

The National Parents Association chair, Nicholas Maiyo, said that some students have not reported to school due to factors like teenage pregnancies, drugs and substance use and insecurity in some parts of Northern Kenya. 

He said the body is working with various state agencies such as the Nyumba Kumi initiative to trace the Form One learners who are at home to ensure that all of them report back to school. 

In Nandi, the county director of education Zakaria Muituiri said majority of the students in local schools had reported. In Kapsabet Boys High School, only two out of 500 learners have not reported at the top-performing national school. The chief principal, Kipchumba Maiyo, noted that the two got admission to international schools and had been replaced.

In Turkana County, boarding schools have registered overwhelming enrolment compared to day schools where some institutions have less than half the number of learners they were allocated. For example, at St Kevins Mixed Day Secondary School in Lodwar town, only 194 out of the 418 learners allocated had reported by yesterday.

In Samburu County, education officials are trying to unravel the puzzle of more than 1,400 Form One learners who are yet to take up their admission slots across the semi-nomadic region where transition has been weakened by factors like cattle rustling, female genital mutilation, moranism and early marriages.

Admission rate

By Monday, only about 3,317 out of the anticipated 5,718 learners (62.8 per cent) had reported across all public and private schools.

"The turnout is not impressive but we hope that the remaining students will report this week even if the deadline elapsed" said David Koech, the county's education director.

Western region director of education, Stephen Barongo, said admission was still going on and put the rate of reporting at 85 per cent.

“We are still compiling the data but we are doing well since the schools are full,” he said.

Migori County director of education, Jacob Onyiengo, said 30,000 learners had reported to school and only five per cent had not.

In Kuria East Sub-ounty, only 67 per cent of the learners had joined Form One, while Kuria East had reported an admission rate of 57 per cent.

Kisumu County director for Education, Isaac Atebbe, revealed that a large number of pupils have reported to school while Nyang'ori Boys principal, Ibrahim Kugo, said all the 350 Form Ones reported before closure of the admissions deadline. 

Reported by David Muchunguh, Faith Nyamai, Tom Matoke, Oscar Kakai, Stanley Kimuge, Sammy Lutta, Ian Byron, Derick Luvega, George Odiwuor, Elizabeth Ojina, Angeline Ochieng, Geoffrey Ondieki and Winnie Atieno