Uncertainty for Grade 10 students as school heads cite lack of resources

Some boarding schools have declined to comply with the directive, citing their inability to provide essential items such as mattresses, blankets and personal effects.

The Ministry of Education says targeted interventions will be announced next week once the exact number of vulnerable learners is confirmed.

Along a dry and dusty path in Nyaribari Chache Constituency, we find a mother and daughter weighed down by disappointment. The past 48 hours have seen their hopes rise and fall in painful fashion.

“Sometimes you just look at your hopes of going to school and they disappear,” said Joy Kwamboka, a student.

Their optimism had been rekindled after President William Ruto directed that all Grade Ten learners report to school, with or without school fees and uniform. For Edna Mose and her daughter, who had neither, the announcement came as a relief.

With renewed hope, they travelled to Nyabururu, where Joy Kwamboka, who scored an impressive 63 points in her KCSEA examinations, had been called to join a C1 school. However, their expectations were shattered upon arrival.

“We were told to start by paying some money and also pay for the uniform. We had nothing, so we decided to return home,” said Edna Mose, Joy’s mother.

The aspiring engineer now faces an extended stay at home as her mother struggles to raise funds for her admission and upkeep in boarding school.

“She will have to stay home this term because we have no other option,” Mose said.

Despite the challenges, the government insists that learners should still be admitted.

“Most schools do not charge anything apart from uniform and food. Some schools are denying students admission because of uniform or food fees. The President has been very clear that learners can report without uniform and look for money later,” said Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok.

However, school administrators who spoke to Citizen TV on condition of anonymity pointed out that learners who report with nothing leave schools responsible for providing mattresses, blankets, bedsheets, and personal items, costs they say are unsustainable.

Speaking to Citizen TV on phone, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba urged school heads to accommodate learners in the short term, noting that the Ministry will issue an official statement on Monday after confirming the number of learners requiring urgent placement.

He added that the government is exploring ways to intervene.

For Joy and her mother, that statement cannot come soon enough. They wait with cautious hope that another chance at joining senior school may soon present itself, and that the aspiring engineer’s journey may yet begin.