Over 200,000 candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will miss Form One slots.
While launching the Form One selection exercise at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development Monday, Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo said only 600,000 of the 800,000 candidates whose KCPE results were released last week will join Form One.
The Minister said 78 National Schools countrywide will admit 16,165, the 20 Special National Schools have admitted 600 students, 195 Extra-County Schools have taken 36,115, 1,090 County Schools 126,167, 5,121 District are admitting 389,299 while 921 Private will take 59,705 students.
Bringing the total number of candidates selected to join Form One on 25th February, 2013 to 628,051 in a total of 7,425 high schools countrywide.
The Minister said owing to the large number of students, about 200,000 of them who will miss selection to form one the country needs to explore the need of scrapping the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education – KCPE.
“I am imagining the many children who are hardly 13 years who have been dropped out because they could not make the requisite marks to join Form One, this is in contravention of Article 53 of the constitution that allows all children to have access to education,” he said.
The Minister reminded parents that the Education Act 2012 criminalizes failure to have children of school-going age in schools.
“As much as the responsibility has been assigned to the parents, more responsibility rests with leaders to ensure that parents have adequate schools from where to seek admission for their children,” he said and added, “This therefore to call upon leaders at both the Central and County Governments to ensure that substantial resources are set aside for development of educational infrastructure.”
Mutula at the same time urged the private sector to invest in secondary schools infrastructure in order to complement government efforts aimed at providing sufficient learning facilities to the ever growing number of children in need of an education.
And Education PS Prof George Godia has warned head teachers of recently upgraded national schools not to hike schools fees. He warned that stun action will be taken against any head teacher who prices education out of the reach of poor students.
“Of concern however is the observed trend of fees hikes in a number of the new national schools. This must be discouraged. Even if the elevation comes with new demands like wider curriculum, inflation, and improvement, expansion of facilities must be phased so as to keep fees levied manageable for parents,” said Prof. Godia.
He said a needs assessment of each Institution is being carried out to facilitate appropriate funding to enhance the capacities of these Institutions, to operate as National Schools.
The grants of Kshs 48million and Kshs 25 million mentioned above are intended to cushion against any costs in areas of infrastructure development.
This is a pro-poor strategy to keep children in school. Noting that secondary school education is crucial in the education system as it equips students with attitudes, skills and competencies needed either by the labour market or for further education and training, Prof Godia lamented that the education sector is facing challenges including lack of sufficient places for those graduating from primary to secondary.
“I wish to underscore the fact that to be in compliant with the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, Article 53(1)(b) which provides that-“Every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education”, the Government is committed to ensuring that all KCPE candidates are facilitated to transit to the secondary school cycle,” said Prof Godia.
“It is on the basis of this that the number of national schools has grown from the initial 18 to now 78 with requisite grants of Kshs 48 million each for the initial national schools and Kshs 25 million for a start for the new elevated schools to enable them start an extra stream.” He added.
He noted that the increase in the number places in national schools has seen the number of candidates admitted to national schools rise from 4517 in 2011 to 16,125 this year.
He said the government has now embarked on strategies that will see poor households cushioned against the ravages of high poverty levels by providing bursaries that target students in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), disbursement of Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) funds, Liaison with partners for resource mobilization and revision of bursary administration guidelines so as to ensure that only needy students benefit from the funds.
Prof Godia urged school managements to endeavour to offer education at optimal cost.
“This can only be realized if schools: Stick to public procurement regulations, award all tenders at competitive rates, minimize the cost of labour by embracing multi-tasking for the non-teaching staff, embrace accountability by making financial reporting, a standing agenda item in all BoGs and PTAs meetings and respecting the Public Officers Ethics Act by avoiding conflict of interest where BoG or PTA members are suppliers of goods and services to schools,” said the Education PS, Prof Godia.
Source:kbc
