The government has embarked on an aggressive drive to mop up students who are yet to enroll for form-one in Homa Bay County.
Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan said more than 10,000 pupils are yet to take up their form-one slots in secondary schools in the county.
The CC said the unaccounted-for students were a setback to the government policy of 100 percent transition to secondary school.
He said 42,408 students sat for their KCPE exams last year in the county but only 31,813 have been admitted to secondary schools.
Lilan disclosed that a total of 10,395 students have not been admitted to various secondary schools, despite the government’s efforts to ensure 100 percent transition.
“The government is undertaking a mop-up exercise to look for students who are yet to join Form One. The objective is to take them to school,” Lilan said.
He said that the mop-up exercise will incorporate Chiefs, their assistants, village elders, and education officials.
Speaking to the press in his Homa Bay town office, Lilian said they will be moving to schools to get particulars of learners who are yet to report to Form One.
“We have entered the second week since schools started admitting new learners but we don’t know the whereabouts of these students. I have directed Chiefs to identify the learners and ensure they are taken to school,” he added.
The administrator said the government had already disbursed capitation to schools and asked chiefs to identify needy students to be introduced to financial support programmes.
Although some learners may have opted to pursue technical courses in local vocational training institutes, the CC said that they are still pursuing the students to ensure they are in school.
“Our worry is that no institution offering technical courses has reported admitting Class Eight learners by Friday last week. We have to look for them,” he reiterated.
Some parents cited financial challenges as the main obstacle preventing them from taking their children to school.
Beryl Akinyi and Perpetua Owino said the current hard economic situation has rendered them unable to secure fees for their children.
Akinyi’s son Elvis Ochieng scored 331 marks and was called to Oriwo Boys High School while Perpetua’s son Ian Renox Odero who scored 380 marks was called to Agoro Sare High School.
“I have tried my best to raise school fees for my son without success. I appeal for help to enable him to go to school,” Akinyi said.
By Davis Langat
