Education stakeholders in Meru county have been urged to urgently establish why their schools performed dismally in last year's secondary school examination and reverse the trend.
County secretary Rufus Miriti said if the trend is unchecked the community would lose out in share of the national cake as high profile jobs will only go to those academically qualified.
Miriti, who was speaking in Meru town, said only a few young people would this year join institutions of higher learning due to poor performance in last year's KCSE examination.
He asked parents and teachers to be actively involved in education and ensure that children excel academically.
"We are very concerned about the poor performance in the KCSE examination. If the trend continues we will miss out in careers like engineering, medicine and law. In 10 years we will lack vital skills and personnel. We leaders are very worried."
The county secretary said bursaries would be given to students from poor backgrounds so that they don't miss out in well-paying careers.
He reminded teachers and other people involved in moulding the youth academically to guide the learners on the best career choices because the quality of degree matters a lot.
Miriti at the same time called for the empowerment of day secondary schools given that the majority of learners were from the locality.