(553)RE-THINKING THE QUOTA SYSTEM POLICY OF FORM ONE ADMISSION ON EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE IN KENYAN SCHOOLS

摘要

Like any other country in the world, Kenya has one of her educational objectives as “Education mustpromote national unity” (Kadenyi 2001). In 1985 however, the Quota System mode of admission wasestablished by an Act of Parliament. This policy demanded that every Provincial Secondary schooladmits 85% of the students from the geographical District in which the school is located with only 15%from outside the District but within the Province. Against this background this study’s main objectivewas to establish what the effects/implications if any of the Quota System mode of admission onexamination performance in Provincial schools. The study population included parents, students,teachers and head-teachers of six (6)selected Provincial schools in Nyanza Province. The otherparticipants were the District Education Officers from the Districts of the study and the NyanzaProvincial Director of Education. An interview schedule was administered to the sample respondents.The data was coded in the statistical package of social sciences where tables and bar graphs weregenerated. The results indicated that the examination performance had nose-dived after theintroduction of the Quota System of admission. The study concluded that admission to ProvincialSecondary schools during form one selection be based strictly on merit. The Quota System tends tobundle children with similar home backgrounds and experience with nothing to share. Equality ofopportunity should be emphasized in Kenya in order to give all learners in all schools an opportunity tolearn in schools of their choice when it comes to joining form one. Policy Makers should take carewhen altering already existing policies since altering even a small section of the policies as was thecase in the form one admission may affect the whole fabric of education as is revealed in this study.