Search on for 100,000 students yet to join Form One

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang will pitch tent at the Coast where transition rate is still low and is expected to meet local leaders to get a solution to the problem. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Education PS Belio Kipsang will pitch tent at the Coast where transition rate is still low and is expected to meet local leaders to get a solution to the problem.

  • The Ministry of Education will be relying on chiefs, their assistants, teachers and education officials to track down those who are yet to report to schools.

The government is expected to step up its door-to-door campaign in search of 100,000 students who are yet to join Form One as it seeks to attain 100 per cent transition rate.

Education PS Belio Kipsang will pitch tent at the Coast where transition rate is still low and is expected to meet local leaders to get a solution to the problem.

The Ministry of Education will be relying on chiefs, their assistants, teachers and education officials to track down those who are yet to report to schools.

“Children have no alternative but to join secondary schools. They cannot make a decision on this issue. We will take them to school by force since the government will be paying for their fees,” said a Ministry of Education official involved in the exercise.

Education CS Amina Mohamed said ministry officials will continue filing accurate daily returns on the status of reporting to schools until the government attains 100 per cent transition.

“It is the constitutional right of every Kenyan child to acquire free and compulsory basic education. The ministry has, therefore, generated lists of students who have not reported to school per sub county for purposes of tracking them and ensuring that they are admitted accordingly,” said the CS.

He asked head teachers of schools where the students sat KCPE to make available all the vital information to aid the process.

CULTURAL PRACTICES

“I wish to ask all relevant government agencies to support the ministry towards achieving the 100 per cent transition policy in much the same way as we did during the monitoring of national examinations last year. I also wish to acknowledge and thank chiefs across the country who have been instrumental in this transition process. I urge all Kenyans to share information of any out-of-school children so that together, we can assure their education,” said Ms Mohamed.

Nine counties have recorded less than 80 per cent turn out of students and will be the areas of focus. They include Taita Taveta, Narok, Kilifi, Nairobi, Mombasa, Lamu, Kwale, Isiolo and Tana River.

Low turnout in those areas has been attributed to teenage pregnancies, early marriages, insecurity, inhibitive cultural practices, indirect costs of secondary education and extreme poverty in households, especially in arid and semi-arid areas.

She said the ministry has prepared data packets bearing actual names and location of the students yet to report.

“We shall leave no child behind. This data will be shared with local administrators who will team up with directors from the ministry in this final push,” said Ms Mohamed.