One-week Form One initiative launched

Form One students’ admission at Lwak Girls High school in Siaya County. [File, Standard]

The Government has launched an ambitious one-week exercise to ensure all candidates who sat last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations join Form One.

The initiative by the Education ministry dubbed the ‘Last Mile Form One Admission Campaign towards 100 per cent Transition’ is intended to trace the 130,000 students who have yet to report to any school.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed yesterday said the latest analysis showed that by last Friday, only 87 per cent of students had reported to schools.

“This means that 895,987 students have now fully enrolled into Form One. Although this enrolment is seven percentage points better than last year, my ministry is determined to do everything possible to realise 100 per cent transition,” Amina said.

The CS's sentiments were echoed by Deputy President William Ruto, who said leaders had a duty to support the Government in attaining 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools.

Dr Ruto, who was speaking at the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa Church in South B, said there should be no excuse for any child to fail to get an education.

“We would want to see every child go to school because it is their constitutional right.”

Needy cases

The DP asked MPs to assist needy cases through the National Government Constituency Development Fund and warned that action would be taken against headteachers who asked for fees from children in public primary and day secondary schools.

Amina listed some of the reasons for failing to hit the 100 per cent as teenage pregnancies, early marriage, insecurity, inhibitive cultural practices, indirect costs of secondary education and extreme poverty in households, especially in arid and semi-arid areas.

“My ministry is determined to continue addressing all these challenges in collaboration with other arms of the Government and stakeholders.”

Amina said the Government had prepared data packets bearing the names and locations of the missing students with the aim of personalising the 'Last Mile' exercise to the individual.

“We shall leave no child behind. This data will be shared with local administrators, who will team up with directors from the ministry in this final push."

Amina also asked school heads to enhance support services to help young mothers enrol in school.