By Obegi Malack
The Ministry of Education has not abolished boarding primary schools for Grades One to Nine, Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) Chairman Charles Ochome has said.
He said that the Principal Secretary (PS) for Basic Education, Dr Belio Kipsang was misquoted.
Ochome, who was speaking during KPSA’s Annual Directors Meeting at the Hilton Hotel on December 6, said the PS was talking about the policy of reducing the number of public boarding schools.
“Dr Kipsang is an able person. We have a had good relationship and I don’t think he will just come up and say boarding schools are not going to be there. I believe he was talking about the number of overstretched boarding sections in public schools,” he said.
He added: “We have not had any indication of the government abolishing boarding schools but if you look at our public boarding schools, they are overstretched and the government is looking at what to do.”
The Chairperson said that boarding schools are there to serve a purpose and if they are to be removed, there will be need for public participation.
He said the private sector is complimenting efforts by the government and that it will allow them to have boarding schools, but if they are not in right standards then they will have a discussion with the concerned parties.
Ochome said that private schools are prepared for Junior Secondary School (JSS) and they have already recruited teachers to teach its students.
Ministry of Education Director of Secondary Schools Paul Kibet who was the Chief Guest during the event said that the government had allowed stand-alone Junior Secondary Schools.
“JSS will have secondary school components, they can be built in primary schools but the curriculum is for secondary school,” he said.
PS Dr Kipsang had earlier said the reason the government wanted to do away with boarding schools was to make education affordable; and because the government prefers day schooling for JSS.
“We are not abolishing anything since 96% of our primary schools which will host JSS are already day schools,” he said.
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