Form one selection is currently on with a number of students already knowing where they are headed for the next four years. The selection process has however been met by criticism from Parents who have decried the Secondary schools their Children have been called to join.
Most parents complained that the Form One selection did not consider the candidate’s preferred schools.
This even as Education Secretary Amina Mohamed said on Monday that “all candidates had an equal chance of getting selected to their preferred schools based on merit, equity, choice and affirmative action.”
Parents also complained about the long distances their children will be required to travel, especially those sent to schools away from their counties. In one instance, a child in Mombasa county has been sent to a school in Busia county that he has never heard of.
One instance that have however caught the attention of many people is the case of Embu’s top KCPE student Telvin Gichuki who said he was inspired by Opposition chief Raila Odinga and would like to become a civil engineer just like the Nasa leader.
“The former Prime Minister has been my role model and inspired me to work hard so that I can a be a civil engineer like him,” Gichuki said.
The 13-year-old former student of Tenri Primary School in Embu town scored 434 marks out of 500.
Gichuki has been selected to join Kabianga High School in Kericho, a school miles away from Embu County where he sat from his national examinations.
So the student who scored 434 marks and said @RailaOdinga was his role model has been called to Kabianga High school. Why punish him because of that ?
— Rein (@Asamoh_) December 4, 2018
Gichuki, who said his inspiration springs from the admiration he has for Raila joins a list of many students that will have to join schools that were not even among their preferred choices.
The new Form One selection guidelines issued in 2015 provided that available places in schools be shared out among candidates in the host county and those from other counties to promote national cohesion and integration.
Parents are however not buying that explanation citing high transport costs and inconveniences that would require days of travel to arrive to the schools.
A parent wrote on a Facebook group; “Kindly looking for a good national school for girls. She was called to Kapsowal girls in Marakwet. So sad.”
A member replied; “Kapsowar is a good national school. I personally know the principal madam Hellen.”
Another replied; “The school might be good but imagine mtoto atoke Meru all the way to Markwet too bad…not safe even for a fourteen year old kid.”
Should the Ministry of Education Review it Form One Selection Process?