Principals allege corruption in Form One selection

By Sam Otieno

Principals of national secondary schools have been instructed to submit five blank admission forms to Ministry of Education officials, The Standard has learnt.

Those heading key provincial schools on the other hand have been instructed to submit between 15 to 20 forms to their respective District Education Officers.

"For instance, a provincial school supposed to admit 90 students has instead been given 70 and asked to send 20 forms," said a source that did not wish to be named.

The principals allege that the number of slots they are being asked to reserve are enormous and suspect sinister motives on the part of the Education ministry.

Move routine

But a ministry official described the move as routine, done annually.

Director of Secondary Education Concelia Ondiek said national schools usually reserve five slots for extra-territorial students who have sat examinations outside Kenya.

"The policy was adopted to cater for returning diplomats’ children and other special and deserving cases," Mrs Ondiek clarified.

Two principals who declined to be named, however, said they were informed that the reserved places were for students of Busara Forest View Academy whose case is still at the High Court.

They further alleged that the reservations would deny eligible students places.

"Students from the affected school are 96 but the slots they are asking us to reserve are more than 2,000," said the principals.

Ondiek said letters come from the respective schools stamped "extra territorial" and are issued to the deserving students.

She said each embassy submits names of students who sit primary school examinations outside the country, but want to go through high school in Kenya.

The results are then equated by the Kenya National Examinations Council to match those of the local standards.

Disgruntled

"The allegations that the letters are being sent to the Ministry of Education for corruption purposes are lies. What is happening is that principals are disgruntled because we have tightened areas where corruption thrived during the Form One selection exercise."

Education Minister Sam Ongeri, while launching the national school selection exercise, warned head teachers from engaging in parallel selection without involving the ministry.

Mr Cleophas Tirop, the chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association confirmed he had heard of the allegations.

"I am yet to get details before I can comment," said Tirop.