Education

Garissa records 99 per cent transition from primary to secondary school

Garissa County Director of Education Abdihamid Maalim Ali. (Issa Husein)

By Issa Hussein | Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The significant change comes two weeks after an alarm was raised over the low numbers of students reporting to secondary schools despite campaigns.

More Form One students reported to schools in Garissa County, pushing the transition rate from primary to secondary school to 99.6 per cent as of February 7.

The significant change comes two weeks after an alarm was raised over the low numbers of students reporting to secondary schools despite campaigns. The transition rate stood at 88 per cent in late January.

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North Eastern Director of Education Aden Roble had said only 6,491 students reported in Form One out of the 10,120 who were expected to report to school in the county.

However, as of Wednesday, the county had registered a great improvement, raising hopes of a 100 per cent transition rate.

Garissa's Director of Education Abdihamid Maalim Ali said more students had attended school and they expected more to join this month after the ministry embarked on frantic efforts to establish their whereabouts.

He revealed the drop was as a result of double registrations in admission and others delayed in reporting to schools due to finances.

"By the end of this week, we expect the transition rate from primary to secondary school in Garissa County to be 100 per cent," Abdihamid said.

He said parents have no reason to keep students at home since the transition to secondary school is compulsory.

He urged parents to prioritize taking their children to school and liaise with his office in case of any obstacles.

Last week, North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno gave chiefs in the region an ultimatum of one week to search for the missing students. He reported progress of 96 per cent transition rate in the entire North Eastern region.

He said, through the government efforts, Mandera and Wajir counties achieved a 100 per cent transition rate but Garissa lagged at an 88 per cent transition rate.