Thousands of learners have not yet reported to Form One and are the risk of dropping out of school, threatening success of the 100 percent transition policy.
Form One learners started reporting to schools on Monday (January 15).
On the first day, the turnout was huge but this dwindled as the days went by and thousands of learners are still at home.
In a departure from the past, the ministry did not issue a deadline for the learners to report.
Unlike in previous years, there is slowed activity across the country to look for learners who are yet to report, to ensure that all of them transit to secondary school, in line with the government policy on 100 transition at all exit points in the education system.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang told the Nation that over 70 per cent of the 1,400,329 learners who were placed to join Form One had reported to various schools. He revealed that a mop-up exercise across the country involving various arms of the government will kick off next week.
This is in the wake of revelation that 175,748 learners who joined school in 2020 did not complete their secondary education in 2023.
Dr Kipsang said that transition from primary school to junior school (Grade 7) has been smooth since it is progression within the same school, unlike to secondary school where learners have to physically change schools.
This being the last 8-4-4 class, those who fail to join secondary school cannot repeat, since the only class for those who wish to repeat is Grade 8 under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). They have already partially done their formative assessment (at Grade 7) which will contribute 20 per cent of their final grade at the end of junior school.
Majority of the learners have been unable to join secondary school due to poverty. Learners from underprivileged backgrounds have continued to reach out to the Nation seeking to be assisted to get sponsors.
This is after they missed out on the various scholarship and bursary schemes offered by both the government and corporates.
One such is 14-year-old Boutros Gamal Andale who sat his KCPE exams at Emutsuru Primary School, Luanda in Vihiga County. He scored 381 marks and has been called to join Kwale Boys High School.
He has been unable to join the school as his mother Rebecca Asikoye Obore is jobless and has not secured a scholarship despite applying to over six of them, including the Elimu Scholarships financed by the Ministry of Education.
Another is Raul Omariba Bagaka, who scored an impressive 408 marks at Imara Daima Adventist Primary School and who had been admitted to Maseno School.
His father, a boda boda rider, is currently indisposed after being involved in a road accident which saw him break one hand. His motorcycle, the only source of income, is currently detained at Industrial Area Police Station.
His mother Selina Moraa is a househelp at a rented house located near Maziwa Stage in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums.
“We must do the mop-ups to make sure that we attain 100 percent transition. Our officers from the headquarters will be walking with you next week together with our colleagues from the Ministry of Interior to make sure the government policy is achieved,” Dr Kipsang said yesterday during the commissioning of the Elimu Scholarships Programme at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi.
Admission to Form One is done on the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) by both private and public schools, making it easy for the Ministry of Education to access the data in real time. Principals are expected to make daily returns on the system.
Since the policy was initiated in 2018, images of former Education Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) Fred Matiang’i and the late George Magoha combing villages and slums to find and enroll learners were common. Officials from the Ministry of Education and that of Interior were heavily involved in the exercise.
In contrast, the current CS Ezekiel Machogu has a more laid-back approach. He drew criticism from stakeholders early this month when he downplayed the number of learners who were unaccounted for, after four years when he released the 2023 KCSE examination results.
“I cannot say that there is a very big difference. Those who might have dropped out of school at the end of the four-year period might be a very small percentage,” he said.
“The President instructed us to ensure that there will be no Kenyan child who will be left behind in the enrolment to school, retention, transition and progression until completion of the Basic Education level in line with our Constitution,” Mr Machogu said at the moment.
In the sprawling Mukuru slums in Starehe Sub-county, Nairobi 142 learners who have not joined secondary school have already been identified.
Speaking yesterday, Starehe deputy county commissioner John Kisang said the learners hail from poor families.
He said that despite the existing challenges, it is against the law for a parent to stay at home with a learner.
Mr Kisang instructed South B assistant county commissioners, chiefs and their assistants to ensure that all learners meant to join secondary school but lack fees join the nearest public secondary schools.
However, the only day secondary school in the area is Nairobi South Secondary School which has inadequate capacity.
"Parents should be given the opportunity to pay the fees in instalments while the child continues to study," the administrator noted.
Makadara sub-county director for education John Koigi did not respond to our enquiries on the transition.
Western regional director of education Jared Obiero told Nation that his region has recorded about 79 per cent reporting rate.
“From Monday, we’ll start the mop-up and also find reasons why they haven’t reported. Some were waiting for bursaries, a majority of which have been awarded,” he said.
