In a move that marked a remarkable increase in the government’s attempts to enforce the 100 percent School Transition Policy in Kenya, an announcement was made today about the nationwide door-to-door inspection campaign aimed at tracing the learners who are still not reported to Junior Secondary School (JSS) or Senior Secondary School.
The campaign was initiated by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, and it surely represents a turning point in the country’s battle against preventable school dropouts and its effort to secure the full participation of all learners in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) model.
The Interior Ministry revealed that inspectors will go to every household in every county to discover and interact with the families of children who are still unregistered or have not reported to school, an action considered necessary for eliminating the existing gaps in the transition process.
This campaign is being conducted after the release of data that indicates that 97 percent of students who completed Grade 6 have transferred to JSS, but there is still a sizable number of students who have not been admitted to Senior Secondary School, where only 61 percent of the eligible students have been placed so far.
The ministry, in its statement dated 18th January, while referring to the inspection exercise, said, “Educating every child is a human and constitutional right.” The officials mentioned that the whole purpose of the operation is to assist the extended school reporting periods and the mechanism for the vulnerable learners.
The counties will be responsible for the supervision of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund and the National Government Administrative Officers, who will provide scholarships and bursaries to the families with financial constraints, while the community leaders will activate the parents’ participation through barazas, religious gatherings, and local forums.
Financial limitations, placement delays, absenteeism, and early pregnancies have been identified as the main factors that deter the full uptake of the Senior Secondary School program by the education authorities. Thus, counseling services and getting guidance on fast-tracking placements are being intensified for the learners affected.
A large-scale inspection campaign has brought the government to the forefront of the enforcement of education regulations, as it combines the pressure from the administration with the engagement of the community in a bid to carry out one of the most ambitious changes in the educational system of Kenya.
Analysts caution that the outcome of the operation, whether positive or negative, will have considerable effects on national development and social equality in the next academic calendar cycle.
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