7 per cent of students admitted in 2011 dropped out

NAIROBI: Out of the 521,601 students admitted in secondary school in 2011, almost 38,000 (7.8 per cent) dropped out, statistics by the Kenya National Examinations Council have shown.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi termed the drop out rate as a matter of great concern considering the significant resources the Government has invested in secondary education.

He wondered why the figures remained high despite the introduction of the free day secondary school education to attract and retain students in school. Prof Kaimenyi directed the Education Standards and Quality Assurance Council to investigate the factors fuelling this worrying trend and recommend appropriate ways of addressing the issue.

"This issue should be investigated in detail as quickly as possible to enable us put in place appropriate interventions before things get out of hand. Drop-out rates must be addressed urgently. We cannot afford to wait any further," he said.

During the release of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education results last year, he directed the council to probe the factors that prevented pupils from completing primary schoool and put in place measures to address the matter.

The council found that different reasons and patterns exist in various regions. "We are looking into how to implement the recommendations," he said.