Top student forced to repeat class after missing school fees for Grade 10
Top student forced to repeat class after missing school fees for Grade 10
Just days after President William Ruto declared that no learner eligible to join Grade 10 should be kept at home due to a lack of school fees, a painful reality has unfolded in Rongo, Migori County.
Sebastian Onyango, last year’s top-performing Grade 9 candidate at Nyakwere Primary School, made the heartbreaking decision to repeat Grade 9 after failing to secure school fees to transition to senior secondary school.
On Monday morning, Sebastian walked through the school gate like any other learner and headed straight to his former Grade 9 classroom.
Neither his classmates nor his teachers knew his intentions. Everyone believed he had already reported to a senior secondary school.
It was only after teachers inquired that the truth emerged. In a plea that stunned the staff, Sebastian asked to be readmitted to Grade 9 and allowed to resit the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
He hopes to improve his score to above 70 points, a result he believes could attract a scholarship and keep his dream of joining Kanga High School in Migori County alive.
Despite teachers pooling small contributions to help him meet basic requirements for senior secondary school, Sebastian refused to leave the school compound.
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Fighting back emotion, he explained that his parents were unable to raise the required fees.
“I received an admission letter to Oriwo Boys High School to join Grade 10, but my parents cannot afford the fees,” he told his teachers.
“I am asking to repeat Grade 9 so that I can get better marks that may help a well-wisher sponsor my education.”
Sebastian admitted that watching his peers join their dream schools while he remained behind had taken a heavy emotional toll on him. He described feeling depressed and defeated, his academic future stalled by poverty rather than ability.
According to him, repeating Grade 9 is not just a second academic chance but also a way to cope with the emotional strain of being left behind.
Inside the classroom, the mood was somber. Students and teachers alike struggled to come to terms with the fact that their top performer had failed to progress due to financial hardship.
“I felt deeply sad and disappointed seeing one of our best students return to repeat because of school fees,” one of his teachers said.
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