Parents and learners from different parts of the country will be matching their way to various secondary schools for the ongoing form-one admission, an engagement process that is expected to last for a week.
The form one admission kicked off on Monday, 15 as directed by the Ministry of Education across the country, and in Migori County, various secondary schools had a beehive of activities as parents, teachers and students moved from one place to another amidst the admission process.
At Migori Boys High School, parents and students had already stuffed the school’s compound as early as 7 a.m. during the second day of admission.
The incoming students, donned new Migori Boys uniforms and carrying backpacks filled with enthusiasm, eagerly explored their new environment. The energy of the admissions day set the tone for what promises to be a dynamic and enriching year at the school.
Speaking to some of the students, they expressed their excitement, saying that this marked the beginning of a transformative chapter of their eager young minds.
Kennedy Chacha, a student from Kuria, said that the start of his form-one journey marks a significant step in his educational process and career development.
“Migori Boys has always been my dream high school and being here is a privilege. I have always admired its academics and the co-curricular activities, and I look forward to enjoying my stay during my entire four years, said Kennedy Chacha.
As the admission process continues, parents lament about facing multiple challenges with the whole process of form one admission that included; additional charges not included in the fee structure as well as the unforeseen high prices of admission requirements.
Salome Achieng, a parent of a form one student who was joining Migori Boys, disclosed that some of the challenges that the majority of the parents were facing were the high costs of buying some of the school requirements and increased school fees.
“We were shocked as parents when we were informed that we were required to pay some additional amount of money that had not been indicated in the student’s admission letter,” bemoaned Achieng.
The parents urged the National and County governments, and the Constituency Development Funds (CDFs) to increase the amount of education bursaries and scholarships to help ease the burden of school fees for those who cannot afford them.
The Equity Bank-Wings to Fly Scholarship Programme and the Elimu Scholarship Programme offered 16 and 252 scholarships respectively to students set to join form one this year in Migori County.
The county saw a total of 43,137 siting for their 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and according to the County Director of Education Jacob Onyiego, they expect a 100 percent transition to enable each child access secondary education.
By Belinda Oyanda and Marion Obuya
