Principal Secretary for Basic Education Julius Jwan yesterday, March 23, 2021, ordered investigations into a school in Eldoret that was closed in 2019 but still registered candidates for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
The PS was shocked to learn that Eldo Kings Star Academy, a private learning institution in Langas, Eldoret, was still operational despite being ordered to close in 2019.
The school's registration had been revoked after it was deemed not fit for learning. Its environment was poor and teachers had the school did not have Teachers Service Commission (TSC) numbers.
Education PS Julius Jwan addresses the media. |Photo| Courtesy|
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PS Jwan made the discovery as he inspected the ongoing KCPE exams in the region.
The school has a total of 372 pupils with 45 registered for the KCPE exams.
Jwan discovered that a section of the school was inhabited by tenants who went about their business of washing and hanging clothes as KCPE exams went on.
The PS established that the learners and tenants shared toilets even amid the examination period.
Tenants fled from the compound when they saw a team of officials from the Ministry of Education in the company of police officers.
"We are going to discuss with our officers why this school still exists yet this is what they are in the field to do," PS Jwan stated.
He noted that students would not suffer any consequences as it was a mistake on the part of Education officers and the school management.
"This school was condemned in 2019 and we have not seen any report that says it has met the conditions for reopening.
"It was condemned because it did not have TSC registered teachers," PS Jwan stated.
The school headteacher Duncan Ocholla told the PS that the school had 372 learners, however, he could not produce a list to prove it.
"When we were closing the school for third term, I was asked by the director to collect all records and he took the documents for counter checking," Ocholla alleged.
PS Jwan assured the 45 candidates that they would sit for their exams uninterrupted and transition to secondary schools in July.
"There are good public primary schools in the are and parents should not take their children to dilapidated private institutions," PS Jwan stated.
Education PS Julius Jwan (right) inspects KCPE exams at Kisii Primary on March 22, 2021. |Photo| Courtesy|
