Ten expectant Form 4 students in Kwale have given birth since the KCSE examination began on March 26.
Kwale county education director Martin Cheruiyot said some girls were rushed to nearby hospitals for delivery after going into labour during the exams.
Some gave birth a day earlier and others hours before writing their papers.
Cheruiyot said the exams went on uninterrupted and special plans were made for the girls to write tests.
“We were confronted by a few cases, but the good thing is that necessary actions were taken and none of the girls missed the papers,” he said.
The director said the young mothers breastfeed their babies in special reserved rooms in schools as they sit for the remaining tests.
Cheruiyot said no girl should be denied a chance to write the exams because of their pregnancy or after delivery.
She said the focus is to empower both boys and girls to compete for equal employment opportunities through education.
In 2020 more girls were enrolled in the national examinations compared to boys.
The county registered 7,059 KCSE candidates, with 3,554 being girls and 3,505 boys.
The number of girls who enrolled for KCPE was 11,491; boys were 10,97; totalling 22,465 candidates.
The figures have been rising steadily for five consecutive years since 2016.
The county government in 2013 launched the Elimu Ni Sasa Initiative to sponsor bright needy children.
To date, 5,200 poor students are fully sponsored in various schools.
Cheruiyot said the 100 per cent educational transition policy and campaigns against teen pregnancies are bearing fruit.
(edited by o. owino)
