Fredrick Odiero
Established academic giants in Nyanza region posted less impressive outcomes on the national scale in the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) compared to the previous year.
Leading the charts in the region were Maranda, Maseno, Kanga, Kisii, Mbita, Nyambaria Boys, and Asumbi Girls schools, which also registered huge enrollments.
Compared to the previous results, some schools in the region posted impressive results as most of the candidates attained the minimum university entry grade of C+.
Maranda, which topped the 2011 KCSE, led the pack with 30 candidates scoring A plain, 141 (A), 139 (B+), 108 (B), 83 (B-) and 59 (C+). Only 61 candidates scored below C+ in a crowded field of 621 candidates.
However, the school’s overall performance dropped to a mean score of 9.1 compared to 9.7 achieved in 2020, while the number of those with A plain dropped by 18 from the precedent 48.
Mbita, Agoro Sare, Orero Boys and Asumbi Girls High schools emerged top performers in the 2021 KCSE in Homa Bay County.
Mbita High School had a mean score of 9.16. This was an improvement on the 8.9 points in the 2020 KCSE. It had 15 students with A plain, A- (83), B+ (72), B (62), B- (58), C+ (29), C(23), C- (5), D+ (2), D (2).
Principal Kennedy Ojijo attributed the superb results to proper planning, which started four years earlier.
Ojijo said they had set a target of 9.4 when the students joined form one.
We have missed our target by 0.24 but what is important is that we almost achieved it. We began working on the target when the students joined the school,” Ojijo said.
At Agoro Sare High School in Rachuonyo South Sub-county, 14 candidates whose results had been retrieved got A plain while 117 got A- (minus).
Agoro Sare Principal James Momanyi said the school posted superb results.
“I am very proud that we are taking a huge number of students to universities,” he said.
Other schools which performed well include Rangala Girls in Siaya County.
Asumbi Girls, which is also a national school, had a mean score of 8.812. Two candidate scored A plain, A- (58), B+ (107), B (107), B- (98), C+ (53), C(28), C- (3), D+ (1).
Principal Linet Sati attributed the results to discipline among her students.
“Discipline is key to achieving academic excellence. It is hard work that has enabled majority of our candidates to achieve the university grade,” Ms Sati said.
Little Known St Georges Sikri in Homa Bay was also ranked among the most improved schools in the country.
Magunga Secondary School in Nyakach Sub-county, which was ranked among the most improved schools in 2020, did not feature under any category this time round.
Sadly, there was nothing to cheer after Oriwo Boys High School results were withheld. The school will wait for investigations to conclude to know their fate.
Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) wrote to the school informing them of the proceedings they had been subjected to, which would take about a month from the day results were released.
“The results of all candidates at Oriwo Boys High School, Centre Code 41731303 have been withheld on suspicion that they may have engaged in examination irregularities during the conduct of the 2021 KCSE examination,” the letter read in parts.
The school has been a top performer in national exams.
At Kisumu Boys, the principal Eric Duya said they had for the first time in many years realized some A plains.
It was the same case in the nearby Kisumu Girls where they recorded A plains for the first time since 2017.
Another school which was ranked among the most improved was Sigoti Girls Secondary School in Kisumu County, which scored a mean of 9.29 with over 300 students expected to join public universities.
The principal Mrs Joyce Abura said it was their best result ever.
Mbita High School had a mean score of 9.16 points in 2021 compared to the previous year which recorded 8.9 points.
15 candidates had A plain, A- (83), B+ (72), B (62), B- (58), C+ (29), C(23), C- (5), D+ (2), D (2).
Asumbi Girls National School had a mean score of 8.812 points. Two candidates scored A plain, A- (58), B+ (107), B (107), B- (98), C+ (53), C (28), C- (3), D+ (1).
At Agoro Sare High School in Kasipul Constituency, 14 candidates had A. Orero Boys had four students with A plain, a performance the principal Dickens Bula said was exceptional.
“We had hard working and dedicated students,” Bula said.
While releasing the results at the Kenya National Examinations Council headquarters, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for education Prof George Magoha noted that although there were more candidates qualifying for university admission and other tertiary training, the percentage proportion of those who passed was lower than in 2020.
“The number of candidates with minimum university entry qualification of Grade C+ rose to 145,145 (17.49 percent) in the year 2021 compared to 143,140 (19.03 percent) in 2020,” he said.
