At the heart of the conversation is Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba’s signal that the government may shut down schools with extremely low enrollment.
Last night he pointed out specifically those with as few as ten students.
While the move is framed as a push for resource efficiency, it highlights a widening gap between policy goals and the lived reality of Kenyan families.
To address the low turnout for the new Grade 10 cycle, the government has deployed local chiefs for a nationwide mop-up exercise.
This door-to-door operation is designed to ensure no learner is left behind as the transition to senior school takes shape.
On paper, the logic is sound that very child deserves to be in class. However, the heavy-handed nature of ordering parents to deliver students to school overlooks a primary hurdle which is the affordability.
Despite the official push, hundreds of learners remain stranded.
The low turnout isn't a matter of parental defiance, but rather a reflection of empty pockets. Without school fees, many families find themselves in a deadlock.
They have been trapped between a government mandate they cannot afford and the threat of their local schools being closed due to under-enrollment.
CS Ogamba’s argument that it doesn’t make sense to fund schools with ten students is economically logical.
Consolidating resources allows for better facilities and more teachers per capita. Yet, for a family in a remote area, the closure of a small local school often means longer, more expensive commutes to a larger hub, further complicating the fee crisis.
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