Parents avoid new national schools

The recent upgrade of 85 schools to national status at a cost of Sh6 billion has failed to ease admission pressure on the 18 original institutions, an audit report shows.

Auditor General Edward Ouko in a report tabled before National Assembly said review of Form One admissions showed the original national schools were still grappling with congestion, indicating parents and guardians have given the upgraded institutions a wide berth.

“The continued pressure on the original national schools was attributed to the low reporting rate in upgraded schools. An analysis shows that 13 out of 16 newly upgraded schools could not attract even half of students selected and in some cases only three percent reported,” said Mr Ouko in the audit report tabled in Parliament on October 23.

He said the low reporting rate was attributed to the public perception that the new national schools were yet to meet required standards of a national school.

Mr Ouko added that the upgraded schools were expected to enhance national integration through admitting students from the 47 counties in the country.

However, he said an analysis of the schools' admission records showed that most of the schools were admitting students from their own counties.

“For instance, 10 out of 18 schools sampled admitted more than 40 percent of their students from their own county, with some taking up to 88 percent from their own counties,” reads the report.

“...the low national intake in most schools was because students picked during the first selection failed to report due to perception that the upgraded schools did not meet the standards of national schools hence they still sought admission into the original national schools.”