The Department of Education in Nyandarua North Sub County has revealed that only 13% of those who did last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will transit to universities.
During a Sub County heads of departments meeting held at Nyandarua North Deputy County Commissioner’s boardroom in Nyandarua North Sub County, John Gakunga, Nyandarua North Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer, said the percentage represents 242 candidates who scored C+ and above out of 1, 897 candidates who sat for KCSE in the Sub County.
In the meeting, chaired by DCC Nyandarua North Sub County, Angeline Musikayo, Gakunga attributed this dismal transition to an acute shortage of teachers in the Sub County.
“The shortage of teachers in the sub-county is due to the influx of teachers to neighbouring Laikipia County through transfers due to the lure of hardship allowance as the County is a hardship area,” noted Gakunga.
The educationist cited the dire need for teachers, including school heads in the sub-county, stating that there are several schools running without school heads; even worse, three are without school heads and deputies and are being headed by teachers on acting capacity.
He also cited the challenge of accessibility to schools in the interior due to very poor road networks, which not only cause suffering to teachers and learners but also affect the transportation of examinations.
“Accessibility to most of the schools in the sub-county is a challenge due to the poor road network, which has led to untold suffering of teachers and learners who must use the roads on a daily basis,” noted Gakunga.
He requested the DCC to consult with the area Member of Parliament for a request for allocation of N-CDF funding for upgrading of the roads, which would ease movement not only for teachers but also ease transportation of examination.
Gakunga further revealed that about 80% of the learners in the sub-county have stunted growth after research done by the Sub-County Department of Public Health, which is of great concern since it can adversely affect the learning of the learners.
However, he noted that the Department of Education will organise a meeting with school heads and the Sub County Public Health Officials to deliberate on the way forward concerning the findings.
On the School Standards Assessment, the educationist observed that by the end of last year, almost half of the 61 schools, both primary and junior secondary and secondary schools, were assessed, and the assessment report was shared and discussed with school heads during their official meetings, adding that the remaining schools will be assessed this year.
In preparation for grade 9, he observed that last year in phases one and two, the sub-county constructed to completion 16 classrooms through the Kenya Primary Education Equity Learning (KPEEL) Programme, which is a government initiative to improve education outcomes in Kenya being funded by the World Bank.
Additionally, he stated that 15 other classrooms were recently started in both phase three and four of the ongoing programmes, hoping that the projects will not be affected by drastic foreign funding changes taking place in America.
By Kimani Tirus
