Students moved from school in Murang’a over poor grades

Mathare-ini Secondary School in Murang’a County risks closure after parents transferred students citing poor performance and lack of teachers.

The parents also say that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has transferred all teachers leaving behind only two.

TSC transferred the eight teachers to other schools leaving only the principal and his deputy.

There were no Form One admissions this year while last year, the school had no Form Two students, a move that has led to parents taking away their children to other schools.

MASS TRANSFERS

Last year, the school had 47 students who have since been transferred to Kariua, Nguku, Marumi and Githima secondary schools.

Principal Patrick Mwangi blamed the mass transfers to poor enrolment saying despite public sensitisation students have not been joining the school.

“Low enrolment has been a challenge to the school but we have put mechanisms in place to attract more learners this year,” said the principal.

Efforts by the education stakeholders to lure locals to take their children to the school have borne no fruit.

STAKEHOLDERS MEET

Stakeholders including chiefs have been holding meetings in the school in a bid to save it from imminent closure.

Teachers were transferred from the school after efforts by the school’s board of management to convince residents of Mathare-ini village to bring their children who complete primary school education there failed.

The stakeholders even offered free lunch to the students but that did not attract the 21 students who were expected to report this year.

TEACHERS MOVED

A parent, Judy Waithira, claimed the school’s administration advised them to withdraw learners and take them to other schools after the teachers were moved on grounds of low enrolment.

“I have already secured vacancies for my two children at the nearby Kariua Secondary School in the nearby Kandara Sub-County,” she said.

Parents have, over the past few years, been withdrawing their children from the school owing to poor performance in national examinations.

Kigumo Deputy Director of Education David Kigaya said three stakeholder forums have been held with parents and their attitude towards the school is changing.

HOPEFUL

The education officer said the meetings have been held jointly with chiefs, educationists, the church and community leaders.

“The situation is not bad as we anticipate that by next week the school will be full of students,” Mr Kigaya said.

In the last year KCSE exam, the school was ranked the worst in performance in Kigumo Sub-County and in the entire Murang’a County.

In the 2018 KCSE exam, it registered 26 candidates and attained a mean of 1.8080 down from 2.29 the previous year.

In the results, the best four candidates scored D, 13 got D- and nine got E.