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MoE intensified campaigns to ensure 100% transition to secondary schools from last year.
The education CS George Magoha visited various schools in a bid to ensure there are no dropouts. The problem was however experienced in marginalized counties especially those in the North Eastern Counties where most of them have had to drop out of school to be married off.
Speaking while distributing Sanitary towels to girls in Schools, Wajir Women MP Fatuma Gedi say d the situation was worrying. She said this is to help girls come to school.
“The rate of girls dropping out school from our region has been very high. To avoid that we just want to show them the support and encourage them so that they do well,” paused Fatuma.
According to the 2019 Census report, there was balance between the boys and girls in Primary schools but a lower number of girls in secondary schools.
The report says there 7,713 male and 7,310 female in Primary schools in Wajir County however there were 14,413 male compared to 9,759 females in Secondary schools.
Leaders in the region are blaming early marriages to be the main cause of the lower number of females going to high school. They urged parents to take their children to school instead of selling them to be married because there are bursaries to cater for the fees.
” Wajir East MP has bursaries being given out. Now Secondary Education is free courtesy of that. Let no one sale their children on early marriages,”added Fatuma.
“I understand our girls have so many challenges including early marriages, Female Genital Mutilation which is deterrent in itself. Ours is basically to support them,” said Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim.
He lamented the biting droughts which has forced learners to drop out of school.
“With the drought being on, many are not able to pay fees and that is why there might be a serious drop out,” added Kassim.