The Cabinet Secretary for Education in the Kenya government gave a directive to St. Mary’s Shohome Girls High School in Kakamega to register 16 pregnant girls to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
This follows allegations that the girls in question had been denied the right to register by the school administration, reason being they were pregnant.
Fred Matiang’i in a statement said that the action was unfair and against the education policy.
“Pregnancy should not be a cause of girls dropping out of school. The girls should be enabled to continue school and be given an opportunity to sit for the national examinations if she happens to be a candidate,” stated Matiang’i.
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Susan Murweri, the Kenya director for education has also been tasked to work with the Kakamega County administration in a bid to ensure the students are registered for the national examinations.
“We have notified the principal of the school regarding the directive to register the students,” said Murerwa, “The school is combing the villages to get the students back to the school so they can register for the examinations as directed,” noted Murerwa.
Teenage pregnancies are the leading cause of school dropout among girls and have a significant impact on their educational outcomes. Last year, there were over 3000 female students sat for the national exams out of the classroom, citing pregnancy as a big cause for the change in venue.
Matiang’i affirmed that girls in such situations should be given an opportunity to sit for the national examinations if they happen to be candidates.
The 2016 KCSE exams will be conducted starting October and will conclude in December. The exam marks the completion of secondary education in Kenya and also serves as an entrance requirement to Kenyan Universities.
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