It was a sad day in Kisii County as the Karungu Secondary School was forced to shut down due to a lack of students. Henry Onderi, the Kisii County Director of Education, confirmed the closure on Friday, February 3, saying that it was impossible to run the school with just one student and nine idle teachers.
“Blame Game: Who’s Responsible for Poor School Performance?”
Poor performance in the Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) was cited as one of the factors scaring parents away from enrolling their children in certain schools. The Director even pointed out instances where parents went up in arms against school principals due to poor results. However, the Director emphasized that parents also play a crucial role in enhancing school performance and urged them to support the schools in their locality.
The Education Cabinet Secretary, Machogu, also weighed in on the issue while releasing the form-one placement results. He blamed poor guidance from parents for the preference of a few schools. Some secondary schools with a history of excellent performance in national exams attracted more applications than they could handle.
The Director disbanded the school’s Board of Management, stating that they had failed to manage the school effectively. He added that any children still at Karungu Secondary School would be relocated to nearby schools.
“One School, One Student: A Common Story?”
The Director highlighted that some schools, like Karungu Secondary, were not making economic sense due to the low number of students and available teachers. He emphasized that the performance of a school cannot be attributed to just one person and urged parents to play their part in supporting their local schools.
The preference of schools based on KCSE performance was evident in the selection of high schools by the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates. The Director urged parents to be more involved in the guidance of their children in the selection of high schools to ensure a bright future for the next generation.
