The education of boys in Lamu has been neglected and all efforts put into ensuring girls go to school, an official has said.
County education director Joshua Kaaga said on Wednesday that while the education of the girl child in Lamu is on the right track, more needs to be done to ensure the boys catch up.
In the 2021 KCPE exam results, girls in the county topped the list.
The top five candidates in the county were all girls. They were Ashraf Ali Mohamed from Swafaa Academy who scored 411 marks, Ramla Isack Haji from Mkomani Mahmoud Bin Fadhil Public Primary School (409) and Razina Omar Ali from Swafaa Academy (404).
The others were Nayha Mahmoud Abbas from the Al-farsy Muslim School in Lamu Town (403) and Ilham Abubakar Abdul-Rahman from Stone Town Academy who scored 402 marks.
Kaaga attributed the exemplary performance by the girls to the rigorous campaigns undertaken by the county, national government and other players in recent years.
He said boys have received less attention and supervision.
“We are happy with our girls as they are definitely doing well. There have been campaigns put in place to guide them and we have seen a drop in early marriages and teen pregnancies," he said.
"Their performance tells it all. But then, we forget that we also have boys who need the same attention and that’s why their performance this year was wanting.”
Kaaga said there are only two secondary schools for boys in the county. They are Lamu Boy and Mpeketoni Boys schools.
“We can do better than this to ensure both genders move at a favourable pace in matters education and opportunity,” he said.
The official called for a balanced provision of infrastructural support for both boys and girls’ schools in the county.
Over the years, the region has seen an increase in the number of girls attending school compared to their male counterparts.
“Girl schools have better amenities. We must strive to strike a balance and place these children on a level pedestal,” Kaaga said.
Edited by A.N
