Nairobi News

HashtagNewsWhat's Hot

Parents’ fury after children sent to secondary schools they can’t recognise


Parents have thronged social media platform seeking for directions and reviews of secondary schools their children have been selected to join in January.

Most parents complained that the Form One selection did not consider the candidate’s preferred schools.

This even as Education Secretary Amina Mohamed said on Monday that “all candidates had an equal chance of getting selected to their preferred schools based on merit, equity, choice and affirmative action.”

Parents also complained about the long distances their children will be required to travel, especially those sent to schools away from their counties. In one instance, a child in Mombasa county has been sent to a school in Busia county that he has never heard of.

NATIONAL COHESION

The new Form One selection guidelines issued in 2015 provided that available places in schools be shared out among candidates in the host county and those from other counties to promote national cohesion and integration.

Parents are however not buying that explanation citing high transport costs and inconveniences that would require days of travel to arrive to the schools.

A parent wrote on a Facebook group; “Kindly looking for a good national school for girls. She was called to Kapsowal girls in Marakwet. So sad.”

A member replied; “Kapsowar is a good national school. I personally know the principal madam Hellen.”

Another replied; “The school might be good but imagine mtoto atoke Meru all the way to Markwet too bad…not safe even for a fourteen year old kid.”

‘CONSIDER DISTANCE’

One wondered; “Na kwa nini wanapeleka watoto shule za mbali hivo…they should consider the distance.”

Another questioned; “Why were children listing their school choices if that was not going to be considered during placement? Mine has been called to a school we have never heard of.”

A distraught parent questioned, “How is Kolanya girls? Where in Kenya is the school located?”

A member replied; “It is in Teso, not a bad school lakini means itafika place you take a boda boda to get there.”