The Ministry of Education has said that there has been an 85 percent enrolment in secondary schools for pupils who sat for the 2018 KCPE, a 7 percent improvement from the previous year.

Education Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohammed, however, said the ministry is keen on achieving a 1000 percent transition and has embarked on a nationwide campaign to trace 130,000 students, who are yet to join Form 1.

895,987 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN FORM ONE

“As of yesterday, NEMIS statistics indicated that the ministry had realized an 87 percent Form One reporting rate. This means that 895,987 students have now fully enrolled in Form One. Although this enrollment is seven percentage points better than last year, the ministry is determined to do everything possible to realize 100 percent transition,” Amina Mohammed said.

According to the ministry, six particular Counties namely,  Mombasa, Lamu, Kwale, Samburu, Isiolo and Tana River have recorded low form one transition rates of below 70% and are the center of focus in the countrywide week-long Last Mile Form One Admission Campaign towards 100 Percent Transition.

“This low enrollment rate is unacceptable at this point in the transition process. These ‘special’ counties will, therefore, be the Ministry’s point of first intensive focus,” Mohamed said.

The CS also cited some challenges that have made the attainment of 1-00 percent form one enrollment. These include; teenage pregnancies, early marriages, insecurity, inhibitive cultural practices, indirect costs of secondary education and extreme poverty in households, especially in arid and semi-arid areas.

“The ministry is determined to continue addressing all these challenges in collaboration with other arms of government and stakeholders,” she said.