248 Pregnant Candidates In Narok Ready For National Exams
At least 248 students from primary and secondary schools in Narok County will take national examinations in a few days ahead.
741 girls enrolled in primary and secondary schools in the county are confirmed to be pregnant, according to education department figures.
332 are from elementary schools, and 409 are from senior schools.
Of the 741 pregnancies, 140 are candidates for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and 108 for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
With 149 teen pregnancies, Narok South sub-county ranks first, followed by Narok Central with 140.
The remaining sub-counties are Narok West (124), Transmara West (81), Narok East (66), Transmara South (67), Narok North (60), and Transmara East (54).
In the county, about 36,782 grade 6 learners, 33,980 standard eight, and 12,444 secondary school students will participate in this year’s national tests.
The three examinations will be taken by more boys than girls, according to Narok Education Officer Antony Makori.
Teenage pregnancies and female genital mutilation, which push females to drop out of school, are cited as the causes of inequality.
According to him, around 18,954 boys and 17,828 girls will take the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment for Grade Six students.
In the meantime, 17,284 boys and 16,700 girls will take the KCPE examination.
There will be 6,353 boys and 6,054 girls taking the KCSE exam.
Mr. Makori stated that his office is prepared to assist candidates who give birth during exams and will ensure they complete the examinations.
“We have data on all the pregnant candidates and we will be closely monitoring them during the exam period to ensure that all goes smoothly,” he said.
Prior to the national examinations, the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) has begun upgrading deteriorating roads in the county.
Charles Kwena, a Kerra engineer, stated in Narok that the agency had issued contracts for road works meant to increase mobility during the examination season.
Mr. Kwena has assured that all impassable roads will be fixed within one week to facilitate the transfer of examination materials.
Commissioner of Narok County Isaac Masinde reaffirmed that all examination preparations had been made.
He stated that the examinations will be strictly monitored, and any student caught attempting to cheat will be punished accordingly.
“Security personnel… have already been slated, and we expect no hitches,” Mr. Masinde said.
The commissioner of Narok County, Isaac Masinde, stated that the girls would be continuously monitored throughout the entire term to assist them as needed.
He encouraged all pregnant women to appear for the national examination, notwithstanding their condition, noting that even those who would give birth during the exam time would be able to do so in a hospital.
“We want all the candidates to be treated equally so that they can sit for the national exams comfortably. No child should feel disadvantaged because of their condition,” he told KNA.
The high number of pregnancies results from backward cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and teenage marriages.
To prevent their children from engaging in sexual activity at a young age, he urged parents and guardians to guide their children over the holiday seasons.
“The parents should take enough time with their children to understand them and encourage them to work in school. They should act as role models to them and guide them whenever they suspect they are moving in the wrong direction,” he said.
County candidates for the National examination this year.
Already, 66 individuals have been remanded, and 90 others have been convicted of defilement across the county.
According to the Kenya Health Demographic Survey, Narok County had the highest teen pregnancy rate in 2014, at 40 percent, compared to the national average of 18 percent.
The Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) will repair all of the roads in Narok County that aren’t passable so that National exams can be taken to all of the schools in the county easily.
Engineer Charles Kwena of KeRRA said at a County Service Delivery Meeting in the County Commissioner’s Conference Hall that they are giving contracts to qualified contractors to fix all the impassable roads in the county in one week.
“We have identified the impassable roads that need quick intervention during this rainy season. All the impassable roads will be repaired in the course of one week to facilitate smooth transportation of the exams,” Engineer Kwena told the meeting.
The Narok County Commissioner, Isaac Masinde, was in charge of the meeting. All of the heads of government departments were there.
At the same time, the meeting was told that about 36,782 sixth-graders, 33,980 eighth-graders, and 12,444 high school students would take the National exams in Narok County this year.
Antony Makori, an education officer in Narok, has noticed that more boys than girls take the three-level exams. He thinks this is because teenage pregnancies and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) force girls to drop out of school.
He said that there are 18,954 boys taking the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment for Grade 6 and 17,828 girls. The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) test is taken by 17,284 boys and 16,700 girls.
In the county, 6,353 boys and 6,054 girls are taking the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam.
The education officer said his office is ready to help anyone who starts having labor pains while taking the national exams.
He asked everyone who had signed up for the exams to ensure they took the tests no matter how they felt.
“We do not want anyone to miss the exams irrespective of their situation. We have a database of the pregnant candidates and we will be closely monitoring them during the exam period,” he said.
Commissioner Masinde said that everything was ready for the National Exams and asked all department heads to give their cars to the Deputy County Commissioners so they could be used during the exams.
He said that the exams will be closely watched, and anyone who tries to cheat will be punished.
