President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Education to establish, within 90 days, a legal framework for comprehensive schools that bring learners from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) to Grade 9 under a single administration. The plan casts doubt on the future independence of Junior Schools (JS) and sets the stage for a fresh confrontation within the teaching profession.
The proposed changes could end the push for separate management of Junior Schools, with primary school head teachers expected to take charge of the integrated institutions.
The announcement is a setback for the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), which has maintained that Junior Schools have distinct professional and administrative needs that require independent leadership.
The dispute emerged during the ongoing Kenya Comprehensive Schools Heads Association (KECSHA) conference in Mombasa, where the future management of comprehensive schools featured prominently.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has maintained that serving primary school head teachers will become substantive heads of comprehensive schools, dismissing demands for a separate administrative structure. The position puts the commission at odds with KUPPET, which has been pushing for greater recognition of Junior School teachers and their place in the education system.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu, however, backed the single-school approach and warned against attempts to create divisions between teachers handling different levels of learning.
"Enough is enough. This is one school. From ECDE to Grade 9, we are one school," Oyuu said.
He cautioned teachers against allowing rivalry between unions to interfere with the management of schools.
Beyond the administrative changes, the President announced an increase in annual capitation for primary school learners from Sh1,420 to Sh2,300 per pupil. Junior School learners will continue receiving Sh15,042 annually under the existing funding arrangement.
Comprehensive schools will therefore receive a combined Sh17,342 per learner annually, depending on enrolment across the two sections. For a school with 500 primary learners and 300 Junior School students, the combined annual capitation would amount to about Sh5.66 million.
The proposed merger is expected to reshape the administration of basic education, but questions remain over the leadership of Junior School sections, the recognition of teachers' professional roles and how their interests will be protected under the new arrangement.
The 90-day deadline now places the Ministry of Education at the centre of a potentially contentious reform whose outcome could redefine the leadership structure of schools across the country.
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