Anxiety stalks Form One selection

By STANDARD TEAM

Tense parents, children and proprietors of private primary schools are awaiting the start of the Form One selection exercise that begins Friday.

Provincial schools elevated to national status last year are also racing against time to meet admission requirements on a tight budget after receiving just Sh12.5 million instead of the Sh25 million budgeted for them by the government for boarding facilities.

Owners of private primary schools are unhappy at the Government’s plan to employ last year’s Form One selection formula, which they term "discriminative".

According to the selection system, three candidates from public schools will be picked for every candidate from private institutions to join national schools.

But the Government yesterday maintained that all candidates who sat last year’s KCPE would get a fair treatment in selections for Form One places. The selection for the 48 national secondary schools in the country will be done tomorrow at the Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi.

"It is true they were only given half of what the ministry had budgeted for, but we have to continue with the expansion programme of national schools because we did not get adequate funds," said a senior official at the Ministry of Education.

Education PS James Ole Kiyiapi said the 30 secondary schools elevated to national status were ready to absorb some 6,000 candidates in Form One. The Government said it would spend Sh750 million to create additional spaces for this year’s Form One admissions.

Kiyiapi said allocations to national schools would increase the number of Form One places to 10,500 up from 4,500 last year.

"We have more spaces for Form One and expect many more (candidates) to make it into national schools this year," he said.

Last year 5,806 candidates scored 400 marks and above compared to 2,723 in 2010.

Kiyiapi said boys would take up 3,240 of the places and another 2,760 would be reserved for girls.

But the Kenya Private Schools Association (Kepsa) has threatened to move to court if the selection system is retained this year.

Attract cream

"They are not punishing private schools, but the pupils studied for eight years and passed examinations," said association national chair, John Mwai.

Despite the increase in the number of national schools, established institutions that have excelled over the years like Alliance High School, Starehe Boy’s Centre, Moi Girls Eldoret, Mang’u Boys and Kenya High School will still attract the cream of last year’s KCPE candidates.

Provincial schools that have performed well over the years like Friends’ School Kamusinga, Bahati Girls in Nakuru, Kapsabet Boys High School, Maranda High School and Kanga High that now have national status are also expected to be very competitive.

Although the Government released funds to refurbish the schools ahead of their new status, more assistance is still required to ensure the institutions are equal to the initial 18 national schools that have been in existence.

Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi for example has good tuition facilities, but its boarding section needs modernisation since it has not been improved since the institution was established.

"We are partially ready for the new status in our school. This is because the institution requires major renovation work on its facilities to meet the demands," says Mr Kipchumba Maiyo, principal, and Kapsabet Boys.

The number of national schools increased from 18 to 48 last year due to the cutthroat competition for places by applicants in both public and private schools. In total, 86 provincial schools are supposed to be elevated to national status when the programme is fully rolled out in phases over the next two years.

Among the new national schools is Pangani Girls High School in Nairobi Province. Eastern Province was allocated 18, Central 7, Rift Valley 23, Nyanza 11, Western 8 and Coast 12 schools each.

Nyanza has five schools in the first 30 batch of schools nationally elevated to the national status. They are Maranda Boys, Asumbi Girls, Kisii High, Nyabururu Girls and Kanga High School from Migori County.

Interestingly, Maranda, Asumbi, Kanga, Kisii and Nyabururu have been top performers in KCSE and will now rank alongside Maseno School.

In Central Province, Kagumo High School, Murang’a High School and Karima Girls High School were all busy making last-minute preparations for the intake scheduled to take place in Nairobi Friday.

In Kericho County, Kipsigis Girls High School has constructed a new dormitory to house the 140 Form One students.

In Coast Province Mama Girls High School in Mombasa, Kenyatta High School, Mwatate, Ribe Boys High School and Bura Girl’s High are all expected to admit students as national schools in the next two weeks.

Other schools that have been promoted in Western Province include Lugulu Girls High School, Kakamega High School and Bunyore Girls High School.

"Our geographical status cannot allow us expand. We have resorted to storeyed buildings," said Bunyore principal Rose Shitsama.

She also said the Sh12.5 million they received from the ministry of Education was not enough to enable them build modern laboratories, hostels and dinning hall.

Renovate facilities

"As times goes on, we will continue to renovate the existing facilities to accommodate the two groups, the continuing students and Form Ones," said Shitsama.

In Eastern Province, Machakos Boy’s High School, Makueni Boys, Muthale Girl’s High School, Chogoria Girl’s, Moi Mbiruri and Meru School are also included in phase one.

Maranda in Nyanza, despite pockets of opposition from some local leaders who opposed its elevation to national status, plans to give stiff competition to Maseno.

Maranda has the facilities, but suffers constant water shortages and needs additional facilities and teachers to compete effectively.

Kisii High School, one the two schools elevated to national status in Kisii County, is ready and equal to the new challenge. It was formerly known as Government African School (GAS) and was established in 1934, meaning that its upgrading was long overdue.

"We are prepared, ready and up to the task of being a national school. This is a good idea that has been received well by all in the school fraternity," said the principal, Mr Casper Maina.

— Stories by Anderson Ojwang’, Augustine Oduor, Grace Wekesa, Titus Too and Linah Benyawa