Top student misses out in national schools selection
The top candidate in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination, Master Aggrey Akhanyinya, has not been selected to join any of the 103 national schools across the country.
The candidate, who sat his exam at St Joseph in Kakamega County, scored 449 marks out 500.
His mother Ms Rose Abuko said the boy was yet to get any feedback on schools that he had selected to join.
“We texted his index number to 20042 on Thursday but we have not received the name of the school,” said Mrs Abuko.
DEMORALISED
The boy was said to be demoralised. On Friday, using his index number, the Saturday Nation was unable to ascertain which schools the candidate had been invited.
“Index not found in national schools, or you used wrong format. Send index only or wait for county schools,” said a text message from Ministry of Education’s SMS service help line.
Several parents also protested delay in receiving the schools’ choice results with some going personally to Jogoo House to pursue them.
“We are very disappointed because since yesterday, we have been sending messages to 20042 in vain. The cost of each is Sh25 so you can imagine the money coming in to whoever is collecting,” said a parent, Ms Mwende Mutambuki.
She went on: “But I guess they haven’t collected enough yet. And this being Kenya, I might as well tell it to the birds.”
DELAY
The Ministry of Education acknowledged that there was delay in relaying of the selection results but assured parents that all candidates with 400 marks and above had been selected to join national schools.
The ministry will get Sh23 million through the service that enables candidates to know schools that they have been selected to join.
Most of the top performing candidates in last year’s exams have been selected to join Alliance Girls and Alliance High schools.
Felista Osebe Onduso of Gilgil Hills Academy, Nakuru who scored 445 marks has been invited to join Alliance Girls.
Master Collins Kipkoech was a candidate at Chelsa Academy in Bomet and who scored 446 marks has been selected to join Alliance High school.
Margaret Amwayi from Mululu Primary School in Vihiga County with 441marks will also join Alliance Girls.
FIRST APPLICANTS
Director Secondary and Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Mr Robert Masese, said the two schools attracted the highest number of first applicants.
A total of 137,000 candidates applied to join Alliance Girls yet it has a capacity of 300 students in Form One while Alliance High school received 136,680 applications.
All the 7,056 candidates who scored above 400 marks in the exams have secured admissions to the 103 national schools.
The students selected to join national schools are expected to report between February 3 and 10. Other schools that attracted huge number of applicants were Mangu High School (136,870), Kenya High, Maseno High School, Limuru Girls, Machakos and Nakuru High schools.
SCHOOL OF CHOICE
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has assured parents that all candidates who performed well will be admitted to their secondary school of choice. He disclosed that out of the 927,401 candidates who sat for the examination, 759,603 will join secondary schools while the rest will join youth polytechnics.
Dr Matiang’i also announced that the ministry was piloting an online system of transmitting admission letters.
