Parents order school shut down over poor grades in KCPE

Clip boards belonging to pupils, they were not allowed during the 2016 KCPE as a way to tackle cheating

More than 400 pupils were sent home yesterday after angry parents stormed a primary school in Keiyo South.

The parents stormed Walbei Primary School and ordered it closed down after it recorded poor grades in last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCPE) examinations.

School vice chairman Daudi Kosgei said the poor performance had been attributed to laxity among teachers who are reluctant to improve pupils' grades.

The chairman said parents are concerned that majority of pupils scored less than 100 marks in the exam.

"It's unfortunate that the school has continued to perform poorly as a result of teachers who are engaging in other activities other than what they were hired for. Why are we bringing up children who cannot score better grades to join secondary school?" Kosgei posed.

He accused the school administration of failing to punish rogue teachers who have abdicated their responsibilities to improve the performance of the school, saying some teachers have become agents of pollsters.

Former area councillor Michael Tuitoek said they were angered by the poor grades the school recorded.

"This school has been leading in the area in national exams but we were shocked to learn the school registered the worst performance last year," he said.

He said a meeting of education stakeholders will be convened on Wednesday to address the crisis before the school resumes learning.

County director of Education Sabina Aroni said the matter will be handled by sub-county officials.