Girls perform better in 2018 KCSE : The Standard

The gender gap was narrowed in this year’s KCSE, and girls performed better compared to last year. They outshone boys in six subjects, including metal work which is considered a predominantly male field. Of the 660,204 2018 candidates, 321,576 were girls, representing 48.7 per cent of the population. “From this percentage, it can be concluded that we are consistently marching towards gender parity in KCSE enrollment,” said education CS Amina Mohamed while releasing the results. There were 23,192 more female candidates this year compared to last year and an analytic review of KCSE candidature trends for the last five years shows a steady annual increase in the number of girls registering for the exam.

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Taita Taveta, Kwale, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Meru, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kakamega, Vihiga and Kisumu recorded a higher number of female candidates compared to male. Maintaining the pace Girls performed better in languages (English and Kiswahili), CRE, Home Science, Art and Design and metal work. Otieno Irine Juliet from Pangani Girls emerged the overall top candidate by getting 87.6 mean score, maintaining the pace set by her former schoolmate Naomi Karimi Kawira who topped the 2017 KSCE. However, counties in the Northern frontiers registered a low number of females with counties like Mandera, Wajir and Garissa having males doubling the number of females doing the exam.

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Kiambu County recorded the most remarkable increase in the number of female candidates compared to last year. They had 15,856 females this year compared to 14,070 last year. Vihiga and Meru came second and third as counties with improved number of female students who sat KCSE. Highest decline Homa Bay recorded the highest decline of females who registered for KCPE, with the number falling by 1,564 students. Last year, they had 10,268 but this year, it fell to 8,704. Garissa, Mandera and Migori also showed a steep decline of females who sat for exams. Generally, schools in North Eastern and Nyanza; apart from Kisumu, seemed to have lower numbers of females. Even though the top student was female, the top 20 national positions were dominated by males, with only six girls featuring among the top 20s. Among the most improved top five candidates whose KCSE results were compared to KCPE, girls were knocked off, and none got a mention.

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Related Topics

Gender parityKCSEKCSE ResultsTop PerformersKCSE 2018