The Form One admission process has faced its fair share of challenges, and apart from the problems posed by NEMIS, the issue of lack of school fees has been a major setback. Education CS Amina Mohamed told the National Assembly Education Committee on Thursday that by close of business on Friday 11th January-the first Form One admission deadline-30% of the students hadn’t been admitted, equating to 309,700 students countrywide. The government had extended the deadline by one week, to Friday, 18th January, but even as some parents struggled to make ends meet and beat the deadline, the problem persisted. Some parents have given up concerning the whole process, as hope continually fades, with the financial situations not changing.
Some students who were interviewed at their homes across Webuye East and Webuye West expressed no optimism of joining Secondary School, since their parents couldn’t raise the required fees to join Form One. One of the students, Brenda Siundu, noted that she can’t join since she has brothers and sisters who also have needs, “I got 366 marks but till now, there is no hope of joining Form One since my parents can’t afford the fees. Added to that, I have brothers and sisters whose fees also need to be catered for, three in high school and another one in college, and in most cases, we’ve been depending on well-wishers or bursaries,” she said. She has urged well wishers to step in and support her education path, as she harbors dreams of becoming a pilot.
The same applies to another student June Masinde, who scored 377 marks and got the chance to join St Teresa Girls Kitale, but her parents can’t afford the fees, although she remains optimistic that a miracle may happen, “I want to be a doctor and that remains my dream and am sure a good Samaritan will show up and help me,” she said. Many students who hadn’t joined Form One have appealed to Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and other leaders to step in and help them. Some parents who couldn’t afford the quoted fees said they are sugarcane farmers who depend on payments from companies, but the sector has since been riddled with strains. They appealed to the country’s leadership to fast track their payments so that they can take their kids to school before government shuts the admission window completely. Some said they can’t afford to take their kids to national schools and will opt for local schools where the fees is affordable, but urged principals to be patient with them.