By Amoto Ndiewo
Thousands of candidates who sat 2020 KCPE exams will miss their preferred secondary schools due to limited spaces in some of the country’s top institutions.
Officials formulating guidelines for form one selection exercise, have come up with a formula that should have kicked off from the 28th May to 15th June, but which has now been postponed to a later date. This will see top five candidates in each sub county getting their choices. In an effort to see the enormous task of placing all the 1,119,192 candidates in secondary schools to assure 100% transition, this arrangement regardless of gender will place, the top five sub county students in the national schools of their choice.
And interestingly without increasing the number of facilities nor teachers in an attempt to increase more students from a wide spectrum, the Ministry of Education further announced that entry marks to national and extra county schools has been lowered to accommodate more students. Unfortunately the ministry’s lowering the national school entry grade, somehow , will spell ill luck to those who scooped 400 and above marks as they may lose out on chance to attend their preferred first choice national school.
Apart from disadvantaging those with 400 and above marks, some fear that the accommodation of more students could water down academic standards.
And interestingly, despite Muranga High School being elevated to national school status in 2014 and announcing its academic potency, in 2020 exams by posting a mean grade of 9.86 to be be ranked 6th nationally and producing the top KCSE candidate in 2020 Simiyu Robinson, students haven’t gotten over the obsession with the original 17 national schools.
Some even whisper that Muranga High was neither Simiyu’s first or nor second choice.
As much as that is water under the bridge, it can only be hoped that the Magoha way form one selection criteria will be fairer not only on first choice school rule but entire process.
Adding insult to injury, past selection exercise indicates that students often shun national schools in far flung counties like Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, West Pokot, Lamu, Tana River, Isiolo and Marsabit.
Though based in far flung areas, most of these national and extra county secondary schools are very good and well equipped, but lack national outlook in pupillage. As much as it can be explained that some of these far flung areas have a history of being banditry prone, and insecurity reigns there like the refrain of a popular song, interestingly it beats logic that even residents don’t apply to be admitted in these well-equipped secondary schools.
Since majority of candidates in areas like North Eastern prefer Alliance Nairobi School, Lenana, Maseno , Loreto Girls, Kenya High , State House Girls, Pangani Girls , it can be understood that those in form one selection, have no option but to find a balancing act. But indeed as much as what is good for the goose is good for the gander one man’s meat is another one’s poison.
In this respect despite Education CS George Magoha declaring that an audit of new and existing vacancies in public and private secondary schools has been done to ensure all learners transit to secondary schools, behind the scene machinations to defy the official matrix can’t be ruled out.
In this respect, the Magoha’s assurance that all candidates are placed in schools of their choice based on performance and availability of vacancies and that the Ministry of Education will employ a credible and high integrity watertight system is like kicking a ball in the long grass .
After announcing the 2019 KCPE results, it emerged that Pangani Girls with a capacity of 336 girls received 111, 817 applications and Alliance High School with a capacity of 384 boys had 83, 489 applications while Kenya High with 336 slots received 49,727 applications.
This means that missing on the first choice leaves candidates at the mercy of the remaining schools which they may be least interested in.
Cases of the ministry placing students in schools they had not chosen but marches the marks they obtained aren’t uncommon.
In 2019, 33,009 students went to 103 national schools, 184,816 joined extra county secondary schools while 188,454 joined county secondary schools. The sub counties absorbed a whopping 669,145 students and some 777special needs students were placed in their choices in regular schools.
Form one student admission is done online through National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), and learners selected to join national, extra county and county secondary school receive admission letters through the same online media.
On reception the students present admission letters to head teacher of the primary school where they sat their KCPE for authentication. The letters are later verified by the admitting secondary school principals.
However, due to limited number of vacancies in choice secondary schools and behind the scenes mischief, Magoha warned parents against using dubious means to secure slots for their children in coveted schools.
Magoha who further warned people against collecting money to place students in choice secondary schools cited an individual who had collected Sh315, 000 with promises to take children to Alliance High School. While Magoha wondered how this could be done, this being Kenya, a country known for corruption it can’t be ruled out.
In 2020 KCPE exams, 8,091 scooped 400 marks and above and 282,090 students scored between 300-399 marks while 589,027 had between 200 -299 marks .Another 299,677 candidates scored between 100-199 and 307 candidates scored between 01- 99 marks out of a possible 500 marks .
Whereas it can be argued that the cream who obtained 400 and above marks are capable performing in whichever school just as Simiyu Robinson proved, in Muranga High such a decision is going to open a battle ground for parents and stakeholders to lobby and have their way as all candidates may not be able to join national schools due to high school fees of Sh75, 000. This is despite the Education CS promising to gift 9,000 needy students with school fees.
Secondly, the second lot of 282, 090 students capturing between 300- 399 and 589, 027 students scoring 200-299 mark are presumed to fit their shoes national and extra county and county schools, respectively but the 100% transition rate begins to carry worry for 299, 677 candidates who captured 100-199 out of a possible 500 marks . As much as their entry in secondary school to meet 100% transition is welcome, worry walks in their pace at secondary school education safari to bear better fruits to make the 100% secondary transition a worthy journey .
With the question of 100% transition rate to secondary schools remaining a mirage on a slippery route, the six million dollar question is which student will join which school using what criteria?
