National Government administrators (NGAOs) in the Coast region were Wednesday given two months to fully implement the government’s policy on 100 percent transition to secondary school.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki directed the officers across the six counties in the region to go all out and hunt for the learners who are yet to report to Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Form One.
“We want all the children to go to school. That is one of the responsibilities cut out for our administrators, including the Deputy County Commissioners, Assistant County Commissioners, Chiefs, and Assistant Chiefs,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki who was addressing a public baraza in Gotani Trading Centre, Kilifi County, cited the persistently low student reporting rates recorded in the region and tasked the administrators to engage other law enforcement agencies and education field officers to ensure all the transitioning learners are accounted for by the end of April.
In Lamu County, all students joining JSS have reported while only 74 percent of those joining Form One have been registered.
Taita Taveta has recorded 96 percent transition to Form One and 80 percent to JSS while in Tana River County, 99 percent of Grade 6 learners and 82 percent of last year’s KCPE candidates have advanced to the next step.
Mombasa County has transitioned 83 of students to Form One and 92 percent to JSS, while Kwale has registered only 63 in Form One and 86 percent in JSS.
In Kilifi, 31 percent of learners are yet to join Form One, with 93 percent already enrolled in JSS.
“We must make sure that the figures I have read for you improve. I want to come here in the month of April and find 100 percent transition in both Form One and Junior Secondary School.”
Kindiki also issued a directive on a sustained crackdown on the organizers of disco-matanga, which has been one of the contributory factors to early pregnancies and school dropout in the region.
Education stakeholders and religious leaders have in the past raised concerns over the nature of the vigils and night revels held before and after funerals and called for decisive action against the involvement of minors in the events.
“I have heard about this disco-matanga practice,” he said.
“If disco-matanga is all about exposing our young girls to risky indulgences and encouraging teen pregnancies, then it will stop. We must stop it, and we won’t negotiate with anyone on this.”
Kindiki called for an immediate stop to the retrogressive events and sounded a strong warning to security officers that they will be held to account if the trend persists in their areas of jurisdiction.
Further, the CS expressed dismay at the increasing cases of drug and substance abuse in the region and reiterated that the menace will be tackled with the same vigor as other forms of security threats in the best interest of the country.
“We are going to create targets for all our officers in the security sector to help us deliver on making sure that we save our children from dangerous alcoholic drinks, drug abuse, and the use of illegal psychotropic substances that are killing our young people,” he said.
Kindiki, who had earlier commissioned the new office block for the Mwanamwinga Division of Kaloleni Sub-County, also asked the County Police Commanders to open negotiations with boda boda riders whose motorbikes were recently impounded and urged them to release to the owners those seized for petty offenses.