Over 15,000 who scored below 250 marks in KCPE in Coast schools to miss Form One

From left: Coast Regional Education Coordinator Dickson ole Keisi, Mombasa County Director of Education Khalif Hirey and assistant director of education in the Ministry of Education Stephen Mbugua scrutinise the Form One admission list at Coast Girls High School on December 19, 2016. Over 15,000 pupils who sat KCPE in the region will miss Form One places. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Ole Keis noted that a total of 77,164 candidates sat the KCPE exam from all the six counties in the region.
  • Kilifi has the highest number of candidates who were selected to join national schools.
  • Parents criticised the government over the large number of pupils in the region who will miss Form One places.
  • Mwakuja Mrombo, a resident of Mombasa, said those who miss school are likely to engage in crime.

About 15,000 candidates from the Coast who sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in 2016 will miss Form One places.

This has been announced by Coast Region Education Coordinator Dickson ole Keis during the launch of the region’s Form One selection at Coast Girls High School in Mombasa.

He said majority of the students who have missed spaces scored below 250 marks and appealed to education stakeholders to come to the aid of these students by providing avenues for them to get post-primary education.

“About 15,000 candidates in Coast are going to be left out because of lack of Form One spaces,” said Mr Ole Keis.

He said 1,995 pupils from the region will join extra-county schools, formerly provincial schools, and 9,540 will join county schools.

He added that some 6,245 students will join private schools while 180 will join special schools.

Kilifi has the highest number of candidates who were selected to join national schools at 689, followed by Mombasa at 614, Kwale (278), Taita Taveta (151), Tana River (66) and Lamu had 46.

Mr Ole Keis noted that a total of 77,164 candidates sat the KCPE exam from all the six counties in the region.

CHECK MINISTRY WEBSITE

Ministry of Education Assistant Director of Education Stephen Mbogua said KCPE candidates can check the schools they have been picked to join by sending a text message with their index number to 20042 or through the ministry’s website www.education.go.ke.

Parents and several education stakeholders criticised the government over the large number of pupils in the region who will miss Form One places.

“It is not fair at all for these pupils. They should be given a chance in secondary school. In fact that is where their talents and skills are going to be identified in this era of curriculum reforms,” said Mwakuja Mrombo, a resident of Mombasa.

Mr Mrombo said since majority of the students are quite young, they are likely to engage in crime or waste their lives if they fail to get high school education.

He dismissed the idea that these students should join polytechnics saying majority of these institutions are ill-equipped and lack adequate staff.

However, Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KSSHA) Mombasa Chairman Enos Jilo said that all is not lost for those who were not picked to join Form One.

“There are private institutions which can accommodate these students, some who charge way cheaper than public schools while students who will not join the schools they have been called to for one reason or another will provide space for them,” said Mr Jilo.