IMPROVED GRADE 12 RESULTS LINKED TO FREE EDUCATION AND TEACHER RECRUITMENT – ACTIVIST
Education stakeholders have attributed the improved Grade 12 examination results to deliberate government interventions aimed at supporting underprivileged learners.
Human rights activist Laura Miti said the positive outcomes were largely a result of free education, increased teacher recruitment, and the use of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to support learners.
Ms. Miti explained that free education had significantly reduced absenteeism in schools.
She noted that many learners were no longer sent out of class to search for school fees, allowing them to focus on learning.
According to her, this had enabled more pupils to complete the syllabus and benefit fully from teachers throughout the entire senior secondary school period.
“Free education has ensured that more children remain in class and complete their studies without disruption,” she said.
She further pointed out that the recruitment of teachers had improved the quality of learning, as subjects were now being taught by appropriately trained educators.
Ms. Miti observed that the reduction in cases where teachers handled subjects outside their areas of specialization had positively impacted examination performance.
“When the right teachers handle the right subjects, learners are bound to perform better,” she stated.
In addition, Ms. Miti highlighted the role of CDF in placing learners in boarding schools, saying this had created a conducive learning environment.
She said boarding schools allowed pupils to concentrate on their studies and enabled brilliant learners from remote areas, who might otherwise have dropped out, to sit for their examinations and excel.
“CDF support has given vulnerable but talented children a real chance to succeed,” she added.
Ms. Miti asserted that these combined efforts represented significant educational progress for disadvantaged communities, noting that the investments were now yielding visible results in national examination performance.