Selection for national schools was fair: CS Jacob Kaimenyi

NAIROBI: The Government has refuted claims by the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) that pupils from private schools were discriminated against in the Form One selection for national schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has said all pupils from both public and private schools were given equal chance in the just concluded selection for national schools.

Prof Kaimenyi said candidates from public schools were many compared to those from private schools, which meant a big number of those to be selected for national schools had to come from public schools.

In a speech read on his behalf by acting Director Directorate of Alternative Basic, Adult and Continuing Education at the ministry Irreneous Kinara, Kaimenyi said the selection was fair to all and called on private schools to stop misleading the public.

Kaimenyi’s remarks were read at Mang’u High School in Thika Thursday during the launch of Extra- County schools (previously known as provincial schools) Form One selection for Nairobi, Kiambu and Kajiado counties.

LEGAL REDRESS

He said the selection was purely based on merit and the candidates’ choice of school and called for sobriety in the matter.

“Public schools had 86 per cent of candidates and private ones had 14 per cent and therefore public schools had to get more slots in the national schools,” said Kaimenyi.

He said selection of Extra-County schools will be based on 20:40:40 ratio, whereby 20 per cent of candidates selected to a school will be drawn from the sub-county where the school is located, 40 per cent from sub-counties in the home county and 40 per cent from the rest of the country.

KPSA over the weekend said they are planning to challenge in court the recent Form One selection for national schools, arguing it discriminated against pupils from the private schools.

 The association said the selection was unfair to candidates from private schools who scored more than 400 marks and merited admission to national schools, but were instead placed in Extra-County schools.

 “As an association, we will take the Ministry of Education to court for discriminating against children from private schools who performed well by denying them equal chance with those from public schools to get national schools, “said KPSA National Vice Treasurer Aidarus Abdulrahman.

Mr Kinara also urged those who will miss out on Form One placement to embrace vocational training in the country’s 10 technical universities and 700 youth polytechnics.