By Rhoda Mutuku
A Mombasa-based rights group Haki Africa now recommends the dismissal of all education officials from Coast and North Eastern regions following the dismal performance in national exams.
Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid observed the two regions- Coast and North Eastern failed to produce a single top 100 students in this year’s KCSE, according to results released on Wednesday.
“This by any standard is a poor result indicating need for radical education reforms in the two regions which should begin by dismissing all education officials,” Khalid said in a statement
He was concerned that ministry of education has seemed unperturbed despite communities from the two region’s decrying poor performances every other year.
The Haki Africa boss accused the ministry of playing deaf and blind to underlying plights like inadequate education facilities and “poor quality of teachers posted in the regions by TSC.”
“Haki Africa reminds Education CS Fred Matiang’I that the rights to education enshrined in article 43 of the constitution must be equally guaranteed to all students across the country.”
Khalid warned, without a complete overhaul of education structures, the two regions will continue to experience a nosedive in academic standards.
“If this continues the ministry will have intentionally neglected and or discriminated against students of Coast and North Eastern,” the statement read in part.
At the same time, Khalid called on all the governors from Coast and North Eastern counties to set aside at least 50 percent of revenue collected towards bolstering education standards.
“The two regions should not continue to be laughing stalk every time education results are announced,” remarked the director.
Only four schools, all private schools from Mombasa, featured in the top hundred schools nationally, according to 2017 KCSE results.
The four schools include Light academy at position two, followed by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at 49, Abu Hureira at 67 and Qubaa Muslim school at 83.
With exceptions of Sheikh Khalifa which has been consistent in performance, other schools like Light Academy, Abu Hureira, Qubaa Muslim and Memon, have lately dislodged traditional performers such as Aga Khan, Allidina Visram and Mama Ngina from top slots.
