Over 2,000 Form One admissions put on hold

More than 2,000 Form One students will not join high schools in Nyeri after a court stopped their admission on Wednesday.

The Nyeri County Government said admissions discriminated against students from the area.

Mr Justice James Wakiaga stopped the admission of 2,208 students in 10 secondary schools.

Lawyer Wahome Gikonyo for the county government said that the Education ministry violated the guidelines for Form One selection.

“Eligible students from the county were discriminated against and a staggering number of students from other counties admitted in Nyeri schools which is above the 40 per cent provided for in the guidelines,” said Mr Gikonyo.

He argued that 1,570 students from other regions were admitted to the county schools and only 320 students from Nyeri were admitted to schools outside the county.

“There cannot be any logic in having only 12 students from Nyeri Central district joining Nyeri High School and one from Mukurwei-ni joining South Tetu Girls,” he said.

DISENFRANCHISED STUDENTS

Mr Gikonyo told the court the selection was not based on merit, adding that two students from other counties who scored 211 and 219 marks were admitted to the two high performing schools.

Lawyer Alex Muthuri, for the Education ministry told the court that the admissions could be halted pending the inter parte hearing tomorrow.

Mr Gikonyo told Justice Wakiaga that the selection was against the expectations of residents and students of host districts who he said have immensely sacrificed themselves to put up the schools and equip them to ensure they are high performing.

He added that no students from the county with such marks were admitted to schools in other counties.

“Admission in schools from the host districts is less than 20 percent provided and more than 40 percent provided from outside the county thus disenfranchising students and people and students from Nyeri,” said Mr Gikonyo.

Mr Gikonyo said the ministry of education has refused to address the situation to conform its guidelines and the constitution despite demands by the county government.

“The County government of Nyeri through Governor Nderitu Gachagua wrote a protest letter to the cabinet secretary of education on January 29 but no action was taken to redress the situation,” said Mr Gikonyo.

FEW SELECTED

He noted that Nyeri High School Board of Management wrote to the cabinet secretary on January 24 protesting against low number of students from the county selected to join the school.

In the letter which the Nation possesses, the Board of Management said a mark of 211 is low for the standards of the school.

South Tetu girls High School also wrote to the cabinet secretary on January 27 after a meeting to scrutinize the form one selection.

“Only one student was admitted from the entire constituency instead of 28,” says the letter signed by the Board of Management Chairman Dr Charles Githinji. - Daily Nation, Wednesday, February 5 2014.


WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014