National schools pick top four in districts

Education minister Mutula Kilonzo hands over the 2013 Form One Selection list to Kenya High Principal Rosemary Saina at KIE, Nairobi.

By Augustine Oduor

Nairobi, Kenya: National schools will now enroll the top four candidates in every district, unlike in the past when entry was confined to top national performers.

The new system provides for the top two boys and two girls in each of the districts countrywide to be given places in national schools, opening the chances to 1,148 candidates.

The remaining 15,017 places will go to other candidates competitively, but based on equity and district quota.

At the same time, secondary school principals have been instructed to track down candidates to ensure they report to schools to which they are Selected. In addition, they have been asked to establish the reasons why some students fail to report and make a submission of their findings to the ministry.

This is a major shift from the past where some students failed to report to school for various reasons, including lack of school fees, but were never reported.

Some 628,051 candidates were selected to join various public secondary schools in an exercise that saw close to 200,000 candidates completely locked out of secondary education.

This translates to a transition rate of about 76.7 per cent. Of those selected, 16,165 will be admitted to take up the expanded places in the 78 national schools.

Kinoti Joy Kithure, who was the top girl with a score of 430 marks, has been selected to join Pangani Girls Secondary School, as Karakacha Laureen Auma, who was position 22 nationally.

Top boys

The two top boys — Mwaura Bonface Kiongo and Wachira Njomo — have been admitted to Alliance Boys High School, same as Kindiki N Dan Muthomi and Muteti Kelvin Mwangangi, both of who emerged fourth.

All the candidates are expected to report to their respective schools between February 18 and 25.

About 600 candidates have been selected to join the 20 national special schools.

Another 36,115 have been selected to join Extra County schools, as 126,167 are enrolled in County schools.

But the biggest number of candidates — 389,300 representing some 61.2 per cent of the total candidate population — will get admission in district schools.

Lenana School had the highest allocation with 314 candidates while Nairobi School and Starehe boys had 312 and 252 candidates respectively.

Kenya High was allocated 243 while Starehe Boys got 120.

Alliance Boys and Alliance Girls have 360 and 306 respectively, while Pangani Girls have 243.

Education minister Mutula Kilonzo termed the process a ‘fair criteria’ that will ensure all candidates, irrespective of whether they sat the examinations in public or private schools, get their due.

Mutula said this year’s selection and admission to Form One was ‘unique’ as it was done under a new legal regime, and asked schools not to increase fees.

He warned parents to be wary of fraudsters out to mint money by promising to obtain admissions to public schools for their children.

“The selection process is transparent and based on merit, school preference and equity and therefore be wary of fraudsters out to rake in millions from the placement exercise,” he said.

In this year’s selection, private schools have for the first time had a near equal share in national schools, thanks to the harmonised selection formula.

But the directive to school heads comes just weeks after President Kibaki signed into law a requirement that all head teachers be tasked with the responsibility of investigating the circumstances of any child’s absence from school and take appropriate action.

Education Bill

The Basic Education Bill also says that no child will arbitrarily be sent away from school and prescribed a hefty fine for those contravening the law.

Mutula renewed his call to scrap the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), and noted that it is wrong to judge learners based on a two-hour examination taken at the end of eight years.

He said continuous assessment tests must be introduced to monitor children’s performance, in addition to other dimensions such as assessing talents and gifts.

He said middle level colleges had been expanded to absorb those who will have failed to make it to secondary school.

Education PS George Godia said he had asked the Treasury to allocate some Sh7 billion to the construction of an additional 4,222 classrooms and other contingent facilities in fairly performing schools to push transition rate to 100 per cent.

Godia asked principals to ensure all candidates were admitted.

He released admission timelines under which the entire process should be completed.

Selection to Extra County schools and County schools shall be conducted between February 7 and 8, while District schools will do their selection on February 11.

However, parents have been warned to keep off Jogoo House, as no replacement shall be conducted there.

Godia released timelines for replacement exercise and asked parents who would wish to change schools to talk directly to school principals.

Replacements

“Principals have guidelines and parents are advised to talk directly to the schools,” he said.

Replacement for national schools will, however, take place at the ministry headquarters on March 7.

Replacement for Extra County schools and District schools will be done on March 11 and 13 respectively.

Principals of national schools are expected to make returns after the admission process by March 18.