Girl Permitted to Sit For Exam After Giving Birth
Girl Permitted to Sit For Exam After Giving Birth
After giving birth in her school dormitory on Tuesday night, a Form Four girl in Busia has been given the all-clear medically to resume her exams. The girl, who attends a Budalang’i school, is said to be in good health, and her peers helped ensure the delivery took place safely inside the hostel.
Bunyala subcounty Education director, George Owuoche, reported that the girl was cleared to return to school by doctors after being checked out at a nearby hospital following delivery. He made it clear that, like any other woman giving delivery, she got the required medical care.
This girl is one of 903,260 students sitting for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams, which began on October 23. She is ranked 37th among her school’s candidates. The final paper in the national exam, a practical in physics, is set for November 24.
Incidents of candidates giving birth during exams continue, even after study Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu recently advised students in Busia to avoid relationships that would interfere with their study. As part of a crackdown on kangaroo courts addressing adolescent pregnancies, the Education Ministry informed parents and guardians of girls giving birth during examinations in 2020 that they could be arrested.
Belio Kipsang, principal secretary for education, voiced worry about the security ramifications and promised to work with other government departments to resolve the matter.
According to the ministry’s norms, applicants who are expecting must stay in school until the baby is delivered. After that, they can go home and resume their studies upon readmission. This incident highlights the continued difficulties young students experience in trying to make education a priority.
