At least 4,000 students who were selected to join form one in Northeastern region are yet to report for admission with local education officials raising concerns on their whereabouts.

According to data by the Northeastern Regional Director for Education Aden Roble, out of the 26,926 students selected to join secondary schools, only 22,462 students have joined form one this term.

Garissa is the most affected county where only 6,491 students out of the 10,120 have reported to secondary schools, leaving over 4000 students who are yet to report.

In Wajir County, only 99 students are yet to report to form one while in Mandera, 13 students have joined vocational colleges and only 168 are yet to join form one.

Transition rates

Transition from primary to junior secondary school in the region is at 83.4 percent with Mandera leading with 99.5 per cent, Wajir at 90 per cent while Garissa is trailing at 64 per cent.

In light of this development, North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno has called a meeting with county commissioner, deputy county commissioners, assistant county commissioners, chiefs and their assistants in Garissa to save the situation and make sure that the students report to school.

Otieno further directed the chiefs and their assistants to ensure that all the students who have not reported to school do so within one week.

“Today, we are going to launch a mop up exercise to make sure that the students or the pupils who are still at home go to school. We cannot have a situation where over 40 per cent of those who are supposed to be in school are still at home,” Otieno said.

“The chiefs and their assistants will be providing daily data on the number of pupils and students who have been mopped up and have been taken to school so that within this one week we ensure 100 per cent transition for both form one and grade 7,” he added.

No extra-fees

Otieno said that there is no reason enough to deny a child an opportunity to go to school and called on chiefs to always account on the number of school going children in their areas of jurisdiction.

“The government has released the capitation for all students to the schools so we do not want to hear any stories of certain levies being demanded by their respected schools that deter children from going to school,” the RC said.

Roble, who was also in the meeting, said it was bad to see schools without pupils whereas in the villages, tens of them were loitering doing nothing.

He urged the parents in the region to allow the students to attend both their ‘Duksi’ classes and the normal education together.

“For grade 7, it is going to the next class in the same school. We don’t know where these pupils are but with the help of the chiefs, we will find them and take them to school,” Roble said.