On Thursday, December 1, the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform presented an interim report to President William Ruto, recommending that Junior Secondary Schools be housed in existing primary schools.
According to Hussein Mohamed, State House spokesperson, the Ministry of Education will provide the necessary guidelines on how the structure will be built.
Furthermore, the task force proposed that the Grade 6 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) not be used for Junior Secondary School placement.
Instead, it will be used as an assessment to track learning progress and provide feedback to education sector stakeholders on areas that need to be addressed.
The task force also suggested that an additional classroom and laboratory be built in each primary school. The exercise would be prioritized over the next year. Members of Parliament have been asked to help fund the additional facilities.
Primary schools adjacent to secondary schools, on the other hand, will share laboratories and other facilities with junior secondary schools.
The task force also urged education stakeholders to expedite the process and ensure that all classrooms are well-equipped and follow CBC guidelines.
“The Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and the Teachers Service Commission will work on modalities of fast-tracking retooling teachers to ensure the country has sufficient numbers who are compliant with CBC.”
“Priority will be given to those teachers who will be handling Grade 7 learners,” read part of the statement.Â
To ease the transition and address the teacher shortage, the government will hire an additional 30,000 teachers by January 2023.
President William Ruto has until March 2023 to submit the final report to the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform.
