Kilifi girl claims she was denied form one admission, principal denies

Principal St.Thomas girls' Secondary school in Kilifi Town speaking withjournalists at the school on Monday ,January,21,2019 .She denied to have refused to admit Stella Adhiambo 16,former pupil at Mnarani primary school,instead refunded the schools.She said she reported late to school.[Maureen Ongala,Standard]

A 16-year-old girl has accused a school principal of denying her Form One admission.

The girl claims St Thomas Girls Secondary School Principal Eunice Mwaisaghe (pictured) refused to admit her when she reported to school on Tuesday.

Her mother, Mary Akoth, said she had raised Sh9,500 of the Sh10,000 first term fees required at the day school. She deposited the money at the school’s account at Kenya Commercial Bank.

But the girl, who scored 243 marks in last year’s KCPE examinations, was denied admission on grounds that she had reported late. The school offered to refund the fees and advised her mother to look for another school.

Food kiosk

“My mother struggled to sell food in her kiosk to raise the fee and had even called the school to tell them I would be ready for learning by Monday, but we were turned away,” she said.

Ms Akoth claimed the school turned her child away because she could not raise full fees for first term.

The school principal, however, denied the claims.

Ms Mwaisaghe said the girl was not allowed into the school because she reported after the deadline. She accused Akoth of distorting facts.

According to the principal, the girl’s family had agreed to take her to another school after missing the Form One reporting deadline.

“The parent came after the deadline and I advised her to go to another school. I thought we had agreed,” she said.