This archive report was first published on 19 November 2019.
International Men's Day is celebrated globally today, but in Kenya, the boychild is facing a crisis. The recent KCPE results show that girls have dominated the top academic honours for the second year in a row.
On November 18th, Education CS Magoha released the results, highlighting the need to think about the boychild. 'It is evident that girls are competing favourably with the boys for the top academic honours. And, perhaps, I’m saying this without permission but perhaps it’s time we also started thinking of the boy child,' he said.
While girls performed slightly better in English, Kiswahili, and Kenya Sign Language, boys excelled in mathematics, science, and social studies. However, the top candidate in the country was a male student, Andy Michael Munyiri of Damacrest Schools, Thogoto, with 440 marks.
Despite the top candidate being male, there are more females amongst the top 5 candidates. However, gender is balanced amongst the top 10 nationally, with each counterpart being represented five times.
CS Magoha's concern for the boychild is well-founded, given the heavy investment in girl empowerment over the years. The girl-child campaigns have paid off, with girls not only getting an education but excelling more than boys.
Interestingly, only 18 counties out of 47 registered more female candidates than male. The competition is now becoming fair for both male and female candidates, but the rate at which the females are coming up is fast.
