- Headteachers say the government promised that classrooms will be availed before the end of the year, but construction is yet to begin
- Teachers are the first resource that ought to be availed to schools - Kuppet Sec Gen
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Junior Secondary School will for the first time enroll Grade 9 learners across the country in January 2025, but stakeholders are apprehensive.
The Ministry of Education's preparedness to take in the learners is the source of their worry, as no resources have been availed for these learners who are currently in Grade 8.
Among the resources required are desks and chairs, sanitation facilities, laboratories and teachers, yet the government has only aired plans to avail classrooms.
Headteachers say the government promised that classrooms will be availed before the end of the year, but construction is yet to begin.
In Homa Bay county, Akele primary school headteacher Bernard Oliech told the Star he will need two more classrooms to enroll Grade 9 learners in 2025.
Oliech said the government has urged them to wait for development funds to construct the classrooms, but were not informed when the money would be availed.
Oliech however expressed some optimism.
"Classrooms can take two months to construct. The issue is the availability of funds. Once the funds are there, we will be able to construct classes fast. Our worry is just the funds," he said.
The headteacher said they are hoping the classes will come attached with a laboratory.
"My students still have to go to a nearby secondary school to use a laboratory for science classes," he said.
"Additionally, we seriously need a lot of desks, chairs and even adequate pit latrines."
Hassan Farah, chairperson Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association for Northeastern, said there are generally no facilities ready for use by the incoming Grade 9 learners in the region.
"But government was saying they would be doing construction very soon. There are three schools in every zone that have been identified for the first phase of classroom construction," he said.
Farah said schools are not only in need of classrooms, but laboratories as well. Many are currently in need of sanitation facilities as they were destroyed by the recent floods.
"We have also had winds that have destroyed most of the toilets in schools. So that facility is necessary and we direly need it," Farah said.
Additionally, he said Northeastern is lacking in specialised teachers.
"Most of the teachers that have been posted to this area are those who are not subject specialists in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics). Most teachers here are trained in Social Sciences not STEM. We need STEM teachers."
A headteacher in Kiambu county who sought anonymity said there will be a struggle if learners are enrolled without adequate facilities.
"Remember the government keeps writing to us circulars warning us not to collect any extra funds from parents. So if all the necessary resources are not provided, who shall we look to ?" he posed.
He said his institution is in need of three classrooms and an additional laboratory.
"We have one lab but learners will increase in population next year, we need more," the Kiambu teacher said.
In Ikolomani, Kakamega county, Leonard Walumbe, the headteacher at St Joseph Kizito said the state needs to provide more resources as some were destroyed by the recent floods.
"Like we have one classroom that is need of repairs," Walumbe said.
He said the institution only needs one classroom to accommodate Grade 9 learners.
The situation was no different in Nairobi county, where a school head who also sought anonymity said she is expecting four classrooms from the government.
"If the money is availed in good time, a serious constructor can do good classrooms in three months. So we are not yet panicking but the government needs to move fast."
Some parents have also expressed concern over the matter, she added.
"They have been asking me why Grade 9 learners can not proceed to secondary schools in 2025 where there will be adequate resources due to a lack of form ones. But that is not my place to decide," she said.
The Ministry of Education has insisted that JSS learners will be domiciled in primary schools.
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang said the ministry plans to avail classrooms by January.
“By the time our schools open in January, we shall have availed 16,000 classrooms to accommodate Grade 9 learners. As government this is a responsibility we shall ensure is done,” Belio said.
The PS said it is key to have learners in a conducive environment.
"The most important thing is to start the journey, which we have. We have started the journey by ensuring there will be classrooms. We shall cover the full distance and avail other resources with time."
Additionally, the government is committed to availing human resources to ensure quality learning.
“As we go into the next financial year we shall be recruiting 20,000 teachers which will go a long way in supporting us in implementing junior school curriculum,” Belio said.
On March 20, CS Ezekiel Machogu revealed that the ministry lacks 15,021 classrooms meant to be occupied by the first cohort of Grads 9 learners in 2025.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers sees it differently. Secretary General Akelo Misori said teachers are the first resource that ought to be availed to schools.
If learners do not have teachers, then everything is wrong, he said.
"What we are saying is that the government must employ teachers because we can not have an education without teachers in school. We can miss to have laboratories but we must have teachers. That is the first remedy to the resources issues," Misori said.
The Kuppet official said those that designed the curriculum are aware of the kind of teachers needed to implement it.
"TSC must rationalise how to post those teachers to ensure learners have the teachers they need," Misori said.
National Parents Association Chair Silas Obuhatsa said parents are hoping that CBC is picking up, seven years after it was rolled out.