The ministry of education confirmed that 12,424 candidates missed the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. This is more than double the number of students who missed the exam in 2019, where 5530 candidates missed.
Officials of the ministry have mentioned that majority of the skyrocketed cases are due to the current global situation. Education was put to a sudden standstill in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Hence students stayed home for the better part of last year. This exposed them to many things which led to many dropouts.
Julius Jwan, the Basic Education Principal Secretary stated on 17th April 2021, that the majority of the candidates who did not show up for the exams were from pastoralist communities. He also mentioned that the female population of those who missed the exams were either pregnant or married off.
The government over the years has been putting up new ways to ensure that all candidates are able to sit their examinations. This year was no different, as the education officials made an effort to deliver examinations to all registered candidates.
Examinations were delivered in cells and hospitals to ensure 100% attendance. This has led to the conclusion that 80% of the absentees refused to go back to school while the other 20% could not be traced due to relocation and other personal issues.
However the number of those who sat the examinations is quite encouraging. The ministry stated that all students will get a chance to pursue secondary school