The national government has urged secondary schools to share laboratory facilities with their neighbouring institutions that host junior secondary school learners.
The Director of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Charles Ong’ondo said many junior secondary schools in the country are still faced with a shortage of laboratories to undertake practical work.
The Kenyan government introduced a new system of education called the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) from the old system called the knowledge-based curriculum (8.4.4).
After taking views from Kenyans, the Presidential Working Party on Education recommended that junior secondary schools be domiciled in primary schools.
Ong’ondo said plans are underway to construct integrated learning resource centres in every primary school to aid the JSS in taking their practical lessons.
“The government is planning to construct laboratories in each primary school after building the 16,000 grade 9 classrooms it launched recently. In the meantime we request the secondary schools to share labs with the nearby junior secondary schools,” Ong’ondo said.
Speaking when he presided over education day for Rachuonyo North Sub County at Gendia secondary school in Karachuonyo constituency on Friday, the KICD director said the government is going to provide mobile laboratories to primary schools which are far away from secondary schools.
The laboratories are equipped to offer science equipment for practical use to the learners.
Present were Karachuonyo MP Adipo Okuome and Homa Bay Director of Education Eunice Khamemba.
Ong’ondo said the government is keen on implementing the new curriculum to ensure it achieves its competency objectives.
“The CBC has fully incorporated informal activities such as drama, games and music among others. There is also parental engagement and empowerment,” he added.
Okuome urged the Ministry of Education to continue sensitizing people on the new curriculum on the grounds that many Kenyans still do not understand it.
He argued that proper sensitization will enable Kenyans to fully embrace it.
Okuome said the implementation of the new curriculum will turn youths from job seekers to job creators.
“The new system is practical based and promotes self-employment which is significant for the youth. It discourages over-reliance among the youth,” Okuome said.