A Kakamega school that had declined to facilitate the registration of 16 expectant students for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination has now refused to re-admit the learners.
The defiance by St Mary’s Shihome Secondary School administration comes barely three days after Education Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i directed the principal to ensure the students register for their exam despite the deadline having lapsed.
The minister also directed the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to allow the girls to register. However, most of the 16 students are still at home while some have been admitted to nearby schools, where they are forced to repeat a class as they wait to register for KCSE exam next year.
Meanwhile, Kakamega County Director of Education Susan Murerwa dismissed claims that all the 16 students are in Form Four, saying some are in lower classes. She said initial investigations established that only three expectant students were in Form Four.
“What we are gathering is that the pregnant girls are from not just Form Four and Three, but also other classes,” Murerwa told journalists. “I have, however, dispatched a team led by the Kakamega North education officer to do a head count of all the affected students because we understand the number could even be higher than 16.”
Area education officer Ann Shiundu told People Daily the head count exercise was under way yesterday. “All the girls are being tested for pregnancy. We will forward the accurate figure to the ministry,” she said.
But parents of seven of the affected students dismissed the ministry’s stand that only three Form Four students were affected, insisting they are 16. They also revealed they had been turned back by the school administration when they attempted to get their daughters re-admitted.
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