Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Professor George Magoha has announced that the government has achieved a 98% transition rate of students from Primary to Secondary schools across the country.

Making the announcement at Kakamega High School, Magoha said the mop up exercise carried out across the country in the last three weeks has enabled the government to achieve the target.

The Mop up exercise began on 23^rd August to ensure students who sat for last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education took up their places in secondary schools.

The mop up exercise was carried out by the Ministry of Education officers and a multi-agency team including the Ministry Of Interior.

Magoha noted that at the close of the three weeks’ exercise, 17 counties across the country have already recorded a 100% transition rate as of now with 11 out of the number recording more than 100%.

He said Tana River, Lamu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kakamega, Homabay, Nyamira, Migori, Isiolo, Mandera and Kisumu counties have recorded more than 100% transition rate.

The CS said Tana River recorded 107%, Lamu 104% Nyeri 103%Isiolo 102% as others recorded 101%.

“The 100% transition policy is a transformative one where all children need to transition to secondary schools,” the CS said.

He urged parents to cooperate with the National and County government officers to achieve the 100% transition rate noting that all children will be treated equally and accorded the same opportunities.

He lauded Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties that despite the challenges they face, most children transitioned to secondary school. “Covid 19 deprived families of their income but we as the Ministry are moving to support them,” he noted.

Noting the contribution of the Government scholarship programme to the needy students, Magoha said other partners like Equity Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation have enabled the Ministry to ensure students are retained in school.

He said the government has awarded 9000 students in secondary schools with scholarships for the next four years, raising the number of those supported to 18000 in the last two years.

The CS noted that after the mop up exercise, the government has identified 50 needy students to benefit from the scholarships.  “The Government will also disburse funds on a timely basis to schools so as not to interrupt learning,” he added.

On the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), CS Magoha said the government will focus on it after being done with the transition rate.

He downplayed those claiming that the CBC is costly clarifying that there is no cost involved. “Let us not allow politics to dissuade us from the CBC. We will be moving across the country to monitor implementation of the CBC,” he pointed out.

He said the materials that students need under the CBC are what is commonly used in homes every day.