Some 14,500 out of the 16,000 classrooms required by the first cohort of Grade 9 learners have already been constructed across the country.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, said he Ministry will ensure all the Junior Secondary School (JSS) classrooms that are not yet complete have been completed by end of this month.
Speaking during the commissioning of Grade 9 classrooms in Sotik and Konoin, Bomet County, he noted that the Ministry, through a multi-agency approach, is doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition of learners to Grade 9.
“Where there are challenges, it should be escalated, and a solution is found, including merging classes for the lower grades so that the grade nine learners are not affected,” he said.
According to him, 9.9 million books in all learning areas have been distributed, and all students will get the books as they report to school on a 1:1 ratio.
Distribution is also ongoing in places where it has not been completed for one reason or another.
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“Almost 76,000 teachers have been hired for the JSS, and in areas where there are not enough, there is an amalgamation of the primary teachers who will move up to teach the JSS classes depending on their competencies,” he noted.
Ogamba reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure 100 per cent learners’ transition from grade 6 to 7 in compliance with Article 53 of the constitution further asking teachers not to turn away students who do not have uniforms or anything that is required but to give them time to purchase.
The CS visited Mogoywet, Ndanai, Chepkochun, Chorwet Comprehensive Schools, accompanied by MPs Francis Sigei (Sotik) and Brighton Yegon (Konoin).
Supplementary budget
The MPs lauded the programme, but appealed to the government to factor in desks in the supplementary budget as they were not factored in in the initial budget for the classrooms.
The Ministry of Education disbursed KSh11 billion for the construction of 11,000 classrooms while the national treasury released KSh7.8 billion to NG-CDF to also aid in the construction of 5,000 classrooms to be used by the first cohort of the Grade 9 learners under the Competency Based Curriculum.
By Kimutai Langat
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