As secondary schools opened on Monday for the first term this year, school administrators and business people are grappling with the reality of the lack of Form One admissions.
School managers and traders who sell uniforms, books, and other items have been hit hard, experiencing a significant shift as there are no Form One admissions for the first time in 39 years.
The ripple effects of this change are being felt across various sectors, particularly in education and businesses traditionally linked to the back-to-school season.
Schools will no longer receive the usual government funding allocated for Form One students, estimated at Sh22,244 per learner, as part of the Free Day Secondary Education programme.