Alarming Rise in Secondary School Dropouts Despite Push for 100% Transition
Following the implementation of the 100% Transition Policy from primary school, more than 500,000 students who sat their KCPE exam between 2017 and 2019 did not complete their secondary education.
The primary-secondary school transition strategy may not have fulfilled its purpose, as 518,035 students who enrolled in secondary school did not take the KCSE exams.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the ambitious strategy in 2018, with the goal of ensuring that all KCPE candidates enroll in secondary school.
Six years later, the approach has seen three cohorts of KCPE students complete secondary school.
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According to Teachers Updates assessment of the 100% transition policy using data from the Kenya National Examination Council, 993,718 candidates took the 2017 KCPE exam.
However, just 826,807 students took the KCSE exam four years later. It means that 166,911 students who started secondary school as part of the 100% transition policy did not complete Form Four.
Some KCPE candidates did not enroll in secondary school as planned. Others repeated classes, died before the four-year secondary school cycle, or just dropped out.
There were 1,052,344 candidates who took the 2018 KCPE exams, while only 881,416 took the KCSE in 2022.
A similar pattern may be seen among this year’s KCSE candidates, who are the second batch of students admitted under the 100% changeover program. After taking the KCPE exams in 2019, 1,083,456 students entered secondary school in 2020. Four years later, only 903,260 students took the KCSE this year. The government has not identified people who failed the KCSE.
The figures shed light on the policy’s effectiveness. All children are required by law to complete 12 years of basic education.
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According to the National Parents Association’s head, Silas Obuhatsa, the government has failed to retain students in secondary schools due to ineffective policies.
According to Obuhatsa, there is no proper policy to protect the most vulnerable learners and families. Some enroll in secondary school but are transferred to day schools due to the hefty tuition rates. Those who are unlucky do not finish secondary school.
Even before the policy of total transfer, many students were failing to complete secondary school. An examination of the number of pupils who took the KCPE between 2015 and 2019 reveals that 943,462 never took the KCSE exams four years later.
KCPE examination
In 2016, a total of 942,021 students took the KCPE exam, but only 747,161 took the KCSE exam four years later.
230,567 KCPE pupils in 2015 were not among those sitting KCSE exams four years later. In the same year, 927,789 pupils took the KCPE, but only 697,222 students took the KCSE.
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The scholarships aimed to aid secondary school expenses for children from low-income and disadvantaged families. However, the assistance is restricted to 9,000 students scoring 280 or higher in the KCPE.
Meanwhile, Obuhatsa underscored that students from low-income families unable to afford school fees face significant challenges. He says that due to intense competition in the tests, some low-performing students repeat classes.
By May of this year, the administration announced that it had achieved a near-perfect score in transition rates, with five of the eight regions exceeding expectations.
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Alarming Rise in Secondary School Dropouts Despite Push for 100% Transition
