Schools to admit day scholars revealed

Students of Starehe Boys Centre wait to enter an exam room for their music practicals on October 23, this year. [File, Standard]

The Government has identified top boarding schools in Nairobi set to accommodate day scholars when schools reopen next month.

A total of 19 schools in Nairobi have been pinpointed and are already admitting day learners, in a move aimed at taking in more students.

Starehe Boys Centre, Moi Forces Academy, Nairobi School, Kenya High School, Lenana School and Pangani Girls are the top institutions among pilot schools admitting additional students under the day programme.

Ngara Girls Secondary School, Moi Girls Secondary School, Buru Buru Girls, Embakasi Girls, Arya Parklands, Nembu Girls High School, Dagoretti High School and Langata Secondary will also admit day scholars.

The list seen by The Standard also names Upper Hill, St Georges Girls, State House Girls, Hospital Hill and Ofafa Jericho among the schools identified to admit more Form One students.

This means all students admitted in day streams in these institutions will benefit from the Government's new Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) policy.

The State announced it is increasing capitation per child by some Sh9,374 per year. This brings to Sh22,244, the total amount the Government will now release per child per year in all secondary schools.

Day schools fees will be fully catered for while boarding schools are set to charge between Sh40,000 and Sh53,000 per year.

“This is in addition to the government meeting the cost of national examinations for all candidates in public and private schools,” said Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

He said this would require efficient, honest and transparent utilisation of resources by school management boards.

Higher fees

“Parents are advised to only pay the amount in the fees structure and report incidents of any students turned away for not paying the higher fees to their respective regional education coordinators, county directors of education and sub-county directors,” said Dr Matiang’i.

 

Principals of the selected schools yesterday said they were bracing themselves for challenges that might come with opening gates for day learners.

They said discipline, the risk of smuggling drugs and substance abuse were top challenges the Government must help them tame.

Speaking while launching the Form One selection, Matiang’i said the initiative is part of a bigger objective to open access to more students.

“Opening day wings in existing boarding schools, especially in Nairobi County, is meant to maximise the use of available resources as well as delink admission from bed capacity,” said Matiang’i.

Special needs

The Cabinet secretary said they had moved towards the 100 per cent transition and created places for all 2017 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates.

Matiang'i said this included expanding capacities of existing schools to create places.

He said this had been achieved by dedicating infrastructure grants worth Sh6.4 billion to 2,710 regular schools and another 30 special needs secondary schools.

“This led to construction of 2,740 classrooms, 349 laboratories and 326 blocks of sanitation facilities, among others,” said Matiang’i.

Some three million students will be admitted to all the 8,000 secondary schools next year, according to a Government projection.

A circular released by Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsan’g on FDSE says students who sat KCPE exam in the past as well as those who had dropped out of school may want to join secondary schools.