Magoha: All pupils will join secondary

The Ministry of Education is determined to attain the 100 per cent primary-secondary school transition before President Uhuru Kenyatta's end of February deadline elapses.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha (pictured) said, by yesterday primary to secondary school transition stood at 96 per cent, countrywide. 

The CS spoke at Nakuru Town West Secondary School, after conducting 'slum mop up' in the county, where hundreds of pupils have not been able to transit irrespective of the 100 per cent target.

"Currently, the ministry has attained 96 per cent transition, and we are targeting to reach 100 per cent target by Friday this week," said Magoha.

He said the ministry is working together with local administrators like chiefs and Teachers Service Commission to attain the target.

"Chiefs are vocal persons at grassroots and they have been of great impact in ensuring all pupils who wrote their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education join secondary schools," he said.

During the mop up, at least 34 children were identified and admitted to respective schools in Nakuru. Some of the learners he said are from poor families and cannot raise money to buy school uniforms and pay for lunch programme.

Magoha directed teachers to allow learners attend school as their parents and other education stakeholders find a way of assisting them. He gave an example of Machakos High School where teachers have picked up initiative of supporting students from needy families.

At the same time, he directed school heads to admit all learners without vetting what they scored and warned those coming up with all manner of directives.

"This government is led only one authority that gives orders and directives. This is the president. If the president gives order of pupils transiting, where are these other orders coming from? We need their names," said Magoha, adding that any contrary orders amount to insubordination.