Govt Launch Door-to-Door Search For Students Not Enrolled in Secondary Education
The National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) of Kenya have been warned about the poor transitioning of students to Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Form One.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, has directed the officers to locate learners who have not yet joined school, with the goal of the government’s policy being 100% transition at all education levels.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of students have not yet joined Grade 7 and Form One due to various reasons, including a lack of school fees, early marriages, retrogressive cultural practices, drug abuse, and involvement in informal manual labour.
The region has persistently recorded low student rates, and Kindiki has tasked administrators to engage other law enforcement agencies and education field officers to ensure all transitioning learners are accounted for by the end of April.
Parents complain about illegal levies imposed by some school heads for learners joining Grade 7 and Form One, which have pushed the cost of education beyond the reach of many of them.
Extra levies have been declared illegal by the Education CS, Ezekiel Machogu, and teachers found to be flouting the Ministry of Education’s directives will face consequences. The goal is for 100% of transitioning students to have joined both Form One and JSS by April.
According to the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, a total of 1,233,852 candidates sat for the exam, with all qualifying for admission to Form One, while 1,253,577 undertook the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) to proceed to JSS.
Some reasons for dropping out of school include retrogressive cultural practices, a lack of school fees, drug abuse, early marriages, and involvement in informal manual labour.
In Lamu County, all students joining JSS have reported, while only 74% of those joining Form One have been registered. Meanwhile, Taita Taveta County has recorded 96% transition to Form One and 80% to JSS, and in Tana River County, 99% of Grade 6 learners and 82% of last year’s KCPE candidates have transitioned.
In Mombasa County, 83% of students have transitioned to Form One, and 92% to JSS, while Kwale has registered only 63% in Form One and 86% in JSS. In Kilifi, 31% of learners are yet to join Form One, with 93% already enrolled in JSS.
Additionally, there has been a crackdown on the organisers of night vigils before and after funerals, commonly referred to as disco-matanga, which have been blamed for contributing to early pregnancies and school dropout in the region.
The CS has warned that if these vigils expose young girls to risky indulgences and encourage teen pregnancies, they will be stopped, and they won’t negotiate with anyone on this matter.
The government employs a multi-agency approach to ensure that learners do not drop out of school at the transition points. Unlike his predecessor, George Magoha, who led mobilisation drives across the country, the current Education CS, Ezekiel Machogu, has a different style.
However, he has declared illegal any extra levies imposed by school heads and has threatened action on teachers found to be flouting Ministry of Education directives. With a goal of 100% transition for students, the government is working to ensure that every student can receive a quality education.
Govt Launch Door-to-Door Search For Students Not Enrolled in Secondary Education