This archive report was first published on 19 November 2019.
On November 18, 2019, Prof. George Magoha, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, released the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination results, revealing a concerning trend for the boy child.
For the second consecutive year, girls outperformed boys in the KCPE examinations, with 543,000 boys and 539,874 girls sitting for the exams out of a total of 1,083,456 candidates.
While boys excelled in Maths, Science, and Social Studies, they lagged behind in English, Kiswahili, and Kenya Sign Language. The disparity in performance has raised concerns about the education system's impact on the boy child.
Prof. Magoha noted that 18 counties had more female candidates than male candidates, including Kiambu, Siaya, Kitui, Embu, Kisumu, Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Bungoma, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Vihiga, Busia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Tharaka Nithi, Trans Nzoia, Mombasa, and Bomet.
Despite the challenges, Prof. Magoha expressed optimism, stating that all children would have a place in secondary school by December 2, 2019. He thanked parents for their efforts in supporting their children's education and acknowledged the decline in teenage pregnancies compared to 2018.
Prof. Magoha's comments have sparked a debate about the need to reevaluate the education system and provide equal opportunities for both boys and girls.
