1.4 Million KCPE Candidates Face Admission Struggles Next Year amid School Infrastructure and Funding Shortages
The admission of the 1,4 million Form One KCPE candidates will be difficult for parents next year. As the final cohort of the 8-4-4 system, all pupils must transition to Form One.
However, no additional classrooms have been built to accommodate the anticipated influx of students into secondary institutions. It also appears that the secondary schools face a Sh22 billion funding deficit, which raises questions about the preparedness of the institutions to operate efficiently in the first term.
Already, high school administrators have clashed with the government over the unpredictability and inaccuracy of the free schooling capitation flow to their institutions, as well as proposed fee hikes to cover their deficits. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu revealed on Wednesday that for the last five years, the money given to institutions has been declining.
Machogu reported that the Ministry of Education received funds below the approved rate, leading to underfunding in schools. He explained that the ministry had to allocate the available funds to the students, and this allocation had been increasing annually.
ALSO READ: DCI Seeks Arrest of Friends College Kaimosi Principal and Board Chair Over Ksh15 Million Misappropriation
Machogu spoke when appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee, which Julius Melly (MP, Tinderet) chairs. CS Machogu pointed out that the current enrollment in the nation’s public secondary institutions is 3,956,547 students, which exceeds the allocated Sh65 billion.
Machogu reported that the allocation of Sh65 billion translates to Sh16,428 per learner, which falls short of the approved Sh22,240 per learner funding. He pointed out that this discrepancy creates a funding gap.
Machogu declared that addressing the funding gap is an immediate necessity while revealing that approximately 350,000 pupils have received state funding through Nemis. Principal Secretary of Education Belio Kipsang stated that schools will commence with a 32% deficit in funding the following year.
Dr. Kipsang informed the Members of Parliament that certain areas had experienced underfunding, resulting in the commencement of the year with only 68 percent of the required funding.
And as a result of the revelations, parents are concerned about the large number of incoming Form One candidates next year. The head of the National Parents Association, Silas Obuhatsa, expressed concern about a potential overcrowding of secondary school facilities due to the anticipated influx of students.
ALSO READ: Drunk Police Officer Arrested at Exam Center in Narok
Obuhatsa stated that a significant number of students admitted this year has already stretched the schools. According to Obuhatsa, managing the growing number of students in schools is becoming more difficult, endangering the quality of education that our kids receive.
Last year, when 1.2 million candidates took the KCPE exams, Machogu announced a 90,000-seat shortage in 14 counties. Nairobi County was in the lead with a 45,087 lead, then Kilifi with 10,212, and Mombasa with 9,500.
This year, government sources have hinted at an impending crisis with over 200,000 additional applications if they do not implement early plans to expand classrooms.
However, Machogu stated that the available capacities will be sufficient for the candidates under the 100% transition.
He stated that there was adequate space to accommodate all the students and acknowledged the previous year’s class deficits in several counties. He added that Nairobi would collaborate with neighboring counties such as Kajiado, Kiambu, Machakos, and Muranga in the effort to build additional classrooms.
However, parents are concerned that their children may not get into their dream institutions. Academic achievement, school preferences, and affirmative action all affect candidates’ placement in secondary institutions.
ALSO READ: Senator Nyamu Pushes for Senate Probe into Grade 6 Pupil’s School Pool Death
Candidates have the opportunity to select four national, three extra-county, and two county and sub-county institutions at school.
Over the years, national schools have granted admission guarantees only to candidates with a grade point average of 400 or higher.
Also utilized is the quota system, which selects the best performers per county. Depending on the quota, the best two boys and top two girls are sometimes selected.
According to data disclosed last year, 38,972 students were placed in national schools, as reported by Machogu. Extra-county schools enrolled 228.160 students, while county schools admitted 199.040.
Sub-county schools enrolled approximately 762,610 students, while Special Needs Education (SNE) schools accepted 1,819 pupils. Parents now want the government to undertake an audit of the school infrastructure and address the missing gaps before the admissions exercise set for January next year.
Obuhatsa emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive assessment encompassing laboratories, classrooms, dormitories, furnishings, and even educators. This, he stated, is essential to determining the existing resources and gauging the extent of additional requirements.
ALSO READ: Kenya’s Deep-Rooted Corporal Punishment Tradition: The Rising Tide of Violence
As the final 8-4-4 cohort, parents told The Standard that Form One selection issues should be resolved as soon as possible. A parent stated, “The majority of parents are concerned that their children may not be able to attend their preferred schools due to insufficient capacity.”
The parent stated that children lose motivation when they are unable to enroll in their preferred institutions. “If a child selects a national school and they do not get that, instead they are sent to an institution that perhaps was not on their list, it gets so demoralizing,” the parent said.
Parents also claimed that many students miss out on their dream schools because the institutions do not have capacity. According to Machogu, the principles of merit, choice, equity, and space availability rigorously govern the placement of candidates.
1.4 Million KCPE Candidates Face Admission Struggles Next Year amid School Infrastructure and Funding Shortages
