A school whose 22 out of 23 candidates had the English results cancelled over irregularities was to be shut down last year over poor standards, the Star has learnt.

Area education officials were yesterday holed up in a meeting to determine the fate of the Ningawa Primary School, which is in Kijete, Kwale county.

The school has dilapidated buildings, leaking toilets and therefore unhygienic. These conditions do not provide a favourable learning environment.

According to some of the education officials interviewed, the school received a letter from the health department, asking it to close down. It was not shut. Health official Edward Achani said his office had issued the letter mid-last year.

The zonal advisor Suleiman Mwalonya said the school's infrastructure is poor. The school, which opened its doors in 1997, does not have desks and pupils learn on the dusty floor.

It is a few kilometres from Ng'ombeni where MRC chairman Omar Mwamnwadzi lives. However, the headteacher of the school, Ms Tamasha Nyawa, was non committal over the issue, and instead focused on finding out the fate of the students affected by the English paper that was cancelled.

"For now, the most important thing is about the results, I am trying to follow it up and find out exactly what happened," she said. The school was among the lowest ranked in the district.

Meanwhile, Lamu East, Tana River, Kwale, Mwatate, Lamu West, Kaloleni, Kilifi, Taita, Voi districts were ranked among the bottom 50 schools.

The bottom schools in Kwale county were listed as Funzi, Vanga, Mwache, Majoreni, which had mean scores ranging from a mean score of 145 and below. The top were Tumaini Academy and Kwale Methodist School.