Thousands of Form One students joined their new schools Monday, with head teachers resorting to enrolling them manually when the electronic system failed.
Failure of the National Education Management Information System (Nemis) delayed the admission process, with schools in Vihiga County reporting having challenges using the online format.
School managers had to use a manual list to continue the enrolment is uninterrupted. In Kakamega County, St Peter’s Boys High School Principal Cosmas Nabungolo said teachers will work overnight to transfer the students’ information onto the system.
The school was allocated 395 Form One slots. At Kisii High School, 366 students were admitted by last evening. The school expects a total of 587 Form Ones this year.
At Kereri Girls High School, 300 students had already been admitted by noon. The school expects 550 Form Ones, said Principal Teresia Atieno.
PARENTS DECRY LEVIES
In Homa Bay County, parents accused some principals of creating unnecessary levies in school uniforms.
In Kisumu County, long queues were experienced at Kisumu Boys High School, which expects to enrol 700 students. Parents at St Mary’s Yala complained about unnecessary levies.
In Siaya County, school principals expressed concerns about the overwhelming number of requests for admission.
At Maranda High School, the Principal Edwin Namachanja said he had been allocated 600 Form One slots and needed at least two additional dormitories and three more laboratories to cope with the high number.
Ramba Boys High School in Rarieda also had the same challenges. Principal James Okoyo said he had 450 slots but the number of students could rise to 500. The school requires 40 more teachers.
In Nyeri and Tharaka-Nithi, parents said shops had increased prices for most of the school items by almost 50 per cent.
In Nyeri County, Kagumo Boys High School Principal Silas Mwirigi said the school expected 380 Form Ones, while over 200 had reported by Monday.
LOW TURNOUT
At Nyeri High School and Othaya Girls, more than 150 students had arrived by midday with more expected.
In Meru County, Burieruri High School in Igembe Central and Miruriri Boys in South Imenti have seen a surge in demand for Form One places following improved performances in games and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, with the former recording over a 100 per cent increase.
In Laikipia County, parents and students from Nanyuki Secondary School protested outside director of education Susan Murerwa’s office demanding that the school be opened.
This is after the government closed the school last week due to non-compliance with minimum education standards.
In Samburu, schools registered a low turnout of students due to the heavy rains in most parts of the county Monday morning.
At Kirisia Boys Secondary School in Samburu Central, Principal Kennedy Lengoiboni said the far-flung and vast county presented travel challenges for many students.
CAPITATION
In Nyandarua, students streamed into the schools as early as 8am. At Karima Girls High School in Kinangop and Ol Kalou High in Ol Kalou, the school heads said the admission exercise was smooth.
In Nakuru County, parents complained that schools had forced them to buy uniforms at exorbitant prices from specific suppliers in Nakuru Town.
They said they had to pay between Sh1,000 and Sh3,000 extra per item. At Afraha High School, the Principal Fredrick Mbuthia said the school is expecting at least 300 Form Ones.
At neighbouring schools Nakuru Boys and Nakuru Girls, at least 80 per cent of Form Ones had reported by Monday.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha urged parents not to be forced to buy expensive uniforms from schools against their will.
Speaking at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi on Monday, Prof Magoha revealed that the government had released funds for the free day secondary school programme.
Reporting by Regina Kinogu, Charles Wanyoro, David Muchui, Alex Njeru, George Munene And James Murimi, Derick Luvega, Elizabeth Ojina, Ian Byron, George Odiwuor, Shaban Makokha, Ken Wamasebu, Wycliffe Nyaberi, Benson Ayienda, Geoffrey Ondieki, Waikwa Maina, Eric Matara and Faith Nyamai