Chavakali High Students Decide To Re-Seat Exams After Receiving Y In KCSE

In an emotional meeting that brought together the school board members, teachers, parents and last year’s KCSE candidates, it was resolved that the students report in school between Monday and Wednesday next week with Ksh.6,700 to facilitate registration of this year’s examination since they are not included in the government’s plan that will see candidates’ examination fees paid.

The school management further reduced fees from 75,000 to 29,000 for the parents of the students to cater for their stay at the school till they reseat this year’s examination.

Addressing parents and students at the school, the principal Mr. Indimuli Kahi said it was safer for the students to register for this year’s national examination even as the school board pursues the matter with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).

He however expressed fears on how the school will handle the high number of students it had not anticipated saying the school will have challenges getting classrooms, desks, beds and a dormitory adding that they may be forced to convert the school dining hall to a dormitory for the 313 candidates.

It was evident at the meeting that teachers will have a hard time marking class work for 639 candidates since the school had 326 candidates this year.

With mixed reactions, the candidates’ parents agreed with the school’s gesture to reduce the fees they will have to part with expressing optimism that their children will pass exemplary after reseating the examination.

Before the meeting most of the students were depressed with some disappearing from their homes after threatening to take their own lives.

According to Dickson Meng’wa a parent to Ruto Kevin Meng’wa the son had for five days disappeared from home in Mt. Elgon and sent his father a message threatening to take his life after getting a Y in his final exams.

Dickson however met his son at the school, ending a five day agony their son had left them in.

Only four candidates out of the 317 who sat last year's exams received their results.

A sombre mood engulfed Chavakali High School, Vihiga County, with teachers and students assembling in small groups after they learned that they could not access their last year's KCSE results.

In the previous year, Chavakali surprised many when it emerged on the national scene, triumphantly moving from position 102 in the 2012 exams to position 8 in 2013 nationally.

By Tom Omulo.