Cases of absenteeism among candidates in Kakamega North Sub-county schools have led to the poor grades in KCSE results.
And to curb the vice, school Principals manning the day schools within are calling on the Ministry of Education and local administration to step up their combined efforts of tracing the missing candidates who only surface a day before the start of national examination.
Speaking in various forum in their various schools during their schools AGM, the Principals have expressed fear that the growing trend if not addressed will leave the sub county with more poor grades than ever after.
Parents have been blamed for not ensuring that their children attend school daily and do not question their staying at home with many encouraging them to do menial jobs and fend for the family.
In what is now becoming a vice, candidates disappear after registering for their national exams and will resurface a day or the material exam day.
This vice has affected many school mean score considering that most of the absentee candidates score between D, and E, dragging the sub county mean backwards compared to the other 12 within the county.
It is on record that in the 2023 KCSE, the sub county as 412 scoring Grade E with the majority being boys.
“Lack of attention and care of the boy child by the parents, failure by them to pay school fees and provide other basic needs, the boda boda menace, cane loading has been cited as some of the reasons the boy child is skipping attending classes.
Other boys feel they are mature enough after registering and even the parents fear correcting and asking them to go to school,” said Sub County Director of Education Rose Chisumi.
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A few case studies have been identified in the sub county with many more yet to be exposed as time goes by.
At St Patrick’s Bukhakunga at least eight candidates are yet to report to school since opening of tem two and the school has been unable to trace their whereabouts.
The new Principal Bernard Mang’oli while addressing parents during the school Annual General Meeting recently, announced that their efforts to have the boys in school has been futile as the parents were unable to convince their sons to come to school.
“We have now engaged the local administration to start a manhunt for the missing candidates and bring them back to school so that they can revise with others in preparation for their final examination.”
In Friends Tumbeni Secondary School, the new Principal Mary Ambasa is working around the clock to reduce the number of absentee candidates and so far she had managed save for the remaining two that she is banking on the local administration to flush them out from home and bring them to school.
She says she is considering calling parents to school to discuss on how best they can pay fees since her initial idea of sending the learners home has failed as they never return to school.
“We are adopting a new strategy of maintaining the learners in school and instead summoning the parents to come and commit when and how they can be paying fees. This is to avoid our learners from disappearing into the village forever and this has also assisted the parents to monitor the education of their children.”
Friends Lukala Secondary, Tande Secondary, Mugai Secondary and Salvation Army Matioli Secondary are just some of the many schools that have not been spared either from the vice with several candidates vanishing after registration.
Also, many further fail to come and verify and sign the form bearing their subjects of choice despite being called upon severally.
The Principal Salvation Army Matioli Secondary Paul Shitanda attributes the 12 E grades the school recorded in as a result of absenteeism.
“Our parents fear their children especially the boy child where he is considered as an adult just after circumcision while others are too soft to their sons that they even encourage them to sleep and rest. Some boys look after the cows, look for casual jobs, and attend funerals of a relative.
We even have scenarios where the sons are named after the mothers’ father in law and is treated with the uttermost respect as he represents the father in law in the homestead and cannot be controlled, by his parents and this has led to absenteeism,” he said.
Tande Principal Dan Masitsa who has registered a total of 76 candidates but the number of those attending school is approximately 50 to 60 percent.
“It is unfortunate that it is the same absentee candidates who are involved in theft, burglary, and other illegal activities within the village,” he said.
In Friends Mugai, the new Principal Anne Masheti, said 13 candidates never sat for last year exams and five are yet to open for this term and this led to the school recording a total of 14 E grades.
“Our school population is growing fast and now we are standing at 1500 students, we hope to put an end to this vice once and for all through engaging parents to closely monitor their education of their chidren.”
Education stakeholders have pointed out that the banning of corporal punishment and the introduction of Children Act has not only favoured the learners but empowered them to do as they wish as the school has no authority to stop absentee candidates from sitting for their final tests.
By Andanje Wakhungu
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