- The young girl says she was surprised to have been admitted to Lenana as she did not select it.
- Adhiambo, who aspires to become a doctor and eventually a lecturer, is now appealing to both the government and well-wishers to help her realise her dreams.
Poverty and human error within the Education ministry seem to have connived to frustrate young Gloria Adhiambo Owino’s vision to become a doctor and lecturer in sciences.
With a score of 389 points during last year’s KCPE examination, Adhiambo emerged the best pupil at Nyalgunga Primary School in North Alego location, Siaya county, and had high hopes of joining a good school.
But, with barely a week to the Form 1 students reporting to begin their journey in secondary education, the young girl may not be among them, thanks to biting poverty in her family and an error by the ministry that saw her placed at a national boys' school in Nairobi.
When they downloaded the Form 1 admission form, she had been selected to join Lenana School, one of the national schools based in Nairobi.
Though initially the family and the neighbours at Nyalgunga market where they live in one-room house were filled with joy, this was soon replaced by sorrow upon the realisation that Lenana is a boys’ school.
Talking to journalists at Nyalgunga, the 14-year-old narrated how her father became alarmed while scrutinising the admission form when he came across some of the requirements.
“He stumbled upon one of the requirements as long trousers as part of the uniform, and this is when it dawned on us that this was a boys’ school” Adhiambo said.
She says she was shocked and felt like all her hope is dimmed, and with no one to help, they resigned to fate, hoping that the government would realise the mistake and place her in another school.
“As I am talking, this is the only admission letter I have received,” she says while displaying the admission letter from Lenana School.
The young girl says she was surprised to have been admitted to Lenana as she did not select it.
“We were told to select three national schools and I selected Alliance Girls, Kisumu Girls, and Starehe Girls,” she says adding that in extra county schools, she selected St Francis Rang’ala Girls, Sinaga Girls, and Sega Girls, all in Siaya county.
Adhiambo, who aspires to become a doctor and eventually a lecturer, is now appealing to both the government and well-wishers to help her realise her dreams.
“I am pleading with Kenyans to come to my aid to enable me to join a boarding school where I will concentrate on my studies and realise my dream,” she said adding that she was working hard to get good marks that would enable her get a chance to get a good school.
Adhiambo says she wants to contribute positively to the Nyalgunga and Kenyan society at large, and ensure her family relocates from the small single room at the market.
Due to the error, the family said they could not successfully apply for any bursary as the well-wisher could not understand why a girl would be admitted into a boy’s school.
Her mother, Margaret Awuor, a casual labourer who like her husband does odd jobs in the village, says they have resigned to fate.
Awuor said her daughter had all through been seeking assurance that she will pursue secondary education once she excels in her KCPE exam.
“As a parent, I was always encouraging her that God will not forsake her,” she said, adding that their only hope lies with well-wishers after they failed to get bursary due to the error.
Awuor says if all does not work out, then they will have to plead for admission to the nearby day secondary schools.