At least 13,221 primary schools (see list) had been approved to host Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) as at last Friday. Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu yesterday said that a total of 14,589 public and private schools had been assessed as at January 13. He said there will be adequate space for all Grade Seven learners, noting that over 20,000 schools are expected to meet the threshold for hosting JSS. “I direct our multi-sectoral teams to work round the clock to ensure they complete the assessment exercise by the January 20 deadline,” said the CS, when he announced the Form One selection results in Nairobi.

The learners joining Grade Seven shall report to their respective Junior Secondary Schools on January 30. The Ministry is currently carrying out a comprehensive countrywide assessment of all public and private schools to determine their readiness to admit learners to JSS and is set to end this Friday. The assessment considers, among other factors, whether the respective school has adequate land to host the JSS level, availability of buildings to be used as classrooms and laboratories; and whether the school has adequate water and power supply.

A school will also be checked whether it is registered on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), head teacher qualifications and their area of specialization. The number of teaching specifically TSC employed, Board of Management and non teaching staff as well as the number of teachers with diploma or bachelors degree must be indicated. The officials assessing should indicate other details like approximate distance to the nearest learning institution namely public primary, private, public secondary, Tvet or if the location is within 300 metres of a liquor selling outlet.

They are to indicate the kind of equipment that schools have like laptops or tablets, projector, router, printers or any other. They should identify whether the school has a room for equipping as a Science room, space for agricultural projects and assorted farm tools, special room that can be equipped with tools for pre-technical studies as well as adequate playground or field. The officials should check whether the school has a special room that can be equipped for one optional subject offered. The school should be judged as good, fair or poor.

The teachers service commission, TSC, has revealed plans to train at least 60,000 secondary school teachers on how to handle junior secondary classes between March and April 2022.

Already TSC has trained 120,000 primary school teachers to handle grade six learners next term.The training which was organized by both TSC and the Kenya National Examinations Council(Knec) happened in December and took four days.

In 2023 the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) will spill over to junior secondary. Junior secondary school will comprise of Grades 7, 8 and 9. The pioneer learners under the new 2-6-3-3-3 CBC system will transition to junior secondary school after sitting the Grade Six national examinations.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) said curriculum designs from Grade One to Ten are ready.

Already the construction of the classes to accommodate the Grade 7, 8 and 9 is ongoing. Interior’s CS Fred Matiang’i said Chiefs will supervise the construction of 11,600 new classrooms in schools countrywide.

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During the Mashujaa day celebrations in Kirinyaga, President Uhuru made the announcement that the government will set aside sh. 8 billion for constructing 10,000 junior secondary classes.

According to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha and Interior’s Fred Matiang’i, the classes to be constructed in the first phase will accommodate learners transiting from primary to junior secondary schools.

Dr Matiang’i said the classrooms will be ready to accommodate learners by 2023. All these arrangements are being made despite KNUT’s peas that junior secondary schools be left in primary schools and be handled by primary school teachers.

The headteachers spoke during their Kepsha conference in Mombasa in December.

They said this woúld enable parents to participate in raising their children to tame cases of arson in secondary schools and improve education standards.

A teachers’ union wants grades 7, 8 and 9 to be domiciled in primary instead of secondary schools.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general Collins Oyuu said primary school teachers can handle junior secondary.

Mr Oyuu wondered why the government was spending money building extra classrooms in secondary schools.

For day schools to succeed and control indiscipline, he proposed, junior secondary should be domiciled in primary schools.

“Who do you want to occupy the vacant classrooms in primary schools? Do you want those classrooms to be our houses?” he said at the 17th annual Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (Kepsha) delegates conference on Wednesday in Mombasa.

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“The classrooms should be utilised by bringing grades 7 and 8, and an additional classroom… Grade 9. Our primary school teachers can handle them since 80 percent of teachers are graduates and some have master’s degrees.”

But the Knut boss called for stakeholder engagement on any educational matter.

“Knut shall not work in isolation. We will work with all stakeholders to fight for the rights of teachers. Teachers must all the time be trusted. My role is to speak on behalf of the teachers in this republic. Teachers are the jacks of all trades and masters of all,” he said.

Knut also wants the Ministry of Education to recruit more teachers to address an acute shortage in public primary schools and increase their salaries.

He said inflation is taking a toll on teachers with life becoming increasingly unbearable, adding that the professionals have become a laughing stock.

He said Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani has allocated an additional Sh14.9 billion to Teachers Service Commission (TSC), whose budget has now risen to Sh296.6 billion from Sh281 billion this year. He said the funds should be used for salaries and recruitment.

“We are the best examples for the communities to emulate and join this respectful and noble professional but we have become a laughing stock while the rest of the professionals are living in the current world order. We are suffering due to stagnated salaries,” said the unionist.

He urged the ministry to ensure that teachers get adequate training.

Mr Oyuu decried inequities in education because of the uneven distribution of professionally trained teachers especially in disadvantaged areas.
He urged the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and TSC to negotiate with teachers on raising their salaries.

“This should be before the 2022 polls. Let’s sit and negotiate, it is our right. Teachers should be empowered, adequately recruited, remunerated, supported and motivated. They should be remunerated well because they play many roles,” he said.

“As a union, we cannot sit back and watch the government demotivate teachers, especially those who have volunteered themselves to work the extra mile.”

He said Knut has been lenient and understanding during the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He urged parents to play their roles instead of abdicating them to teachers.

“Headteachers have suffered in their roles but you have always succeeded,” he said.