Education PS Belio Kipsang addressing parents at Karima Mwaro Primary School in Murang'a on Tuesday, December 11, 2024Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has assured Kenyans that the government is putting in place measures to ensure Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are ready for grade nine learners in January next year.
The PS cited Murang’a County where over Sh300 million has been injected to construct grade nine classrooms.
He confirmed that the government is monitoring the construction of the classrooms as the end of the year draws near.
He instructed County Commissioners and directors of education to report incidents of schools where the construction is yet to start for appropriate action.
“If there is any school where the works are yet to commence, let them inform us so we can find out why and ensure the construction is completed by the time schools reopen,” he said.
Further, he confirmed that the government has distributed 9.9 million books that will see each grade nine learner provided with textbooks for all subjects.
“Each student will have nine books for all subjects at a 1:1 ratio,” he said while visiting Karima Mwaro Primary School for the groundbreaking ceremony of three JSS classrooms.
Last Friday, the state concluded the training of 60,000 JSS teachers for the new grade, he added.
“We will be ready by January. Teachers will be ready, books will have been provided and classrooms completed. Everything required will have been made available,” the PS said.
In October, the President confirmed that the construction of 11,000 new classrooms was ongoing nationally.
He also appealed to MPs to fund the construction of an additional 6,000 classrooms through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) to facilitate the smooth transmission of grade eight learners to grade nine.
Over 32,000 classrooms and laboratories are however needed across over 23,000 primary schools to accommodate the 1.5 million.
