• The admission is expected to run through Friday.
• The first day of admission was characterised by a huge turnout, posing a major challenge in managing crowds in schools.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
The admission of 1.15 million Form 1 students to secondary schools started on Monday amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The admission process is expected to run through Friday.
Education CAS Sarah Rutto on Monday said all candidates who sat the 2020 KCPE exams will join secondary school under the 100 per cent transition programme.
She said at least 20,000 students who sat the 2020 KCPE in jail and those over aged were not placed in secondary schools.
The students will have to hunt for places in secondary school, while those in prison will advance their education while serving their sentences.
This year's admission is set to push the population of secondary schools to 3.3 million students.
The first day of admission was characterised by a huge turnout, posing a major challenge in managing crowds in various schools.
Rutto raised concern over laxity by those accompanying new students to schools in observing Covid-19 protocols.
“We would like to appeal to the populations who are bringing their children to school, as you come please do maintain the Covid-19 protocols."
"Many are not putting on their masks as they should. This is an appeal because the schools are doing their part in putting in place containment measures and we need the school population to also do the same,” Rutto said. She spoke while inspecting admissions at St George’s Girls Secondary School in Nairobi.
She was flanked by her counterpart Mumina Bonayan (Early Learning and Basic Education), PS Alfred Cheruiyot and director of secondary education Paul Kibet.
Rutto warned schools against turning back learners who might not have all the required personal effects and fees for admission.
Lucy Rukunga, St George’s Girls Secondary School principal urged all parents to pay fees to support the institution's operations.
For the third year, the registration is being done online via the National Education Management Information System.
The system was adopted in 2018 and is the single registry for all learners in secondary schools.
CONFUSION
Rutto also noted with concern that some parents were sending children to the wrong schools.
She said they had received a number of incidents where parents were reporting to schools their children had been placed but had later sought transfers.
“We have situations where people applied for transfers and they have been accepted but they are going to their original schools. This is going to cause confusion and waste time,” she said.
She called on parents to check the transfer status to avoid reporting to the wrong institutions.
For students who might not be in a position to report to school on the admission date, the ministry has instructed that the same be brought to the attention of the director, secondary education.