The Counties of Narok, Kilifi and Kwale have registered the lowest number of 2020 KCPE candidates who have joined secondary school amid efforts to ensure 100 per cent transition.
According to the Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha, the huge efforts that the Ministry of Education has invested to ensure 100 per cent transition to secondary school have actually started to bear fruit.
“This is exercise must continue until all counties register 100 per cent transition,” said CS Magoha.
The CS applauded several counties for the strides they have made to ensure learners who sat for the 2020 KCPE transition to secondary school.
CS Magoha is set to visit the Kabarnet area in Baringo County on Monday to try and implore more kids to join Form One.
The Counties that recorded the best records in form one transition are Nyeri, Nyamira and Mandera which have registered a perfect record in transition to secondary schools. Besides, Kisii, Nyandarua and Wajir follow the aforementioned counties closely with a transition rate ranging from 95 per cent to 99 per cent.
The CS also revealed that no learners will be denied admission to secondary school. He revealed that the government is committed to ensuring 100 per cent transition of learners from primary to secondary school.
CS Magoha has launched an operation to mop up children who sat last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination at the Coast to join Form One.
“All children must report to school by Friday. The government has already dispatched capitation grants to schools,” said CS Magoha while in the Coast region.
Magoha revealed that overall, the transition has increased by around 10.8 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
The CS also revealed that some counties have done exceptionally well in the transition exercise in Nyeri county in particular recording 102 per cent transition while other counties have also recorded high levels of around 90 per cent.
The CS was at the Nyalenda slums in Kisumu where he mopped up learners from the informal settlement and even escorted them to school.
“This exercise has to continue until all counties have registered 100 per cent transition,” said the CS.
The CS also stressed that President Kenyatta’s order on one hundred per cent transition has to be followed and urged the public to ignore views that are contradicting the agenda.
“The one hundred transitions that the Head of State started has been very transformative. I want to ask the public to ignore all those people who are making noise outside,” said CS Magoha.
“We will continue to ensure that all children who have completed Standard eight transition to Form One,” he added.
The Ministry of Education awarded scholarships to the three learners who were picked during the mop-up from Nyalenda slums.
It has also been reported that 540 KCPE candidates have not yet joined Form One in Homa Bay County. Of the 35,149 candidates who sat for the KCPE examination, only 34352 joined Form One with 203 having joined vocational training centres (VTCs).
According to County Commissioner Moses Lilan, some of the students have been reported as married while some went back to repeat with a few been reportedly sick.
“We have started the process of looking for them to ensure that those who are in good health go to school,” said Lilan.
The County Commissioner urged all security officials in the county to trace the learners who have not reported to Form One within their areas of jurisdiction.