Support children as they transition to junior secondary, parents told

Parents have been urged to join hands with the government for a smooth transition into the junior secondary school system.

Principal Secretary for the implementation of curriculum reforms Fatuma Chege said parents have a huge responsibility in seeing to it that the programme becomes a success, as they are a part and parcel of the stakeholders.

She spoke on Saturday during the launch of junior secondary schools classrooms and laboratories at Kerugoya Municipality Primary School in Kirinyaga county.

Chege said parents should help their children to embrace the changes even as they continue undertaking the critical transition.

She said they should help them adjust in their new environments so that they can fit well into the new school life dispensation.

The PS said most children at that stage are transitioning into adolescents and require moral support and guidance, to enable them to cope with the physiological changes.

She said parental engagement is key as it will overtly help in molding holistic and responsible individuals capable of exploiting their abilities.

About 1.26 million Grade 6 pupils countrywide are scheduled to be admitted to junior secondary schools in January 2023.

The pupils will be the first cohort to transition to Grade 7 under the new Competency Based Curriculum rolled out in 2017.

Under the programme, the pupils will select from different categories of schools namely national, regional, county, subcounty and private junior secondary schools respectively.

Chege hailed the public –private partnership saying it will help in creating space thus accommodating as many students as possible and subsequently ensure 100 per cent transition.

Kerugoya Municipality is among the first private schools in Kirinyaga to get certified to teach the system after it got cleared to admit a cohort of 450 students per year, over the next three years.

The PS thanked the private schools for their cooperation in fully complying with the ministry’s guidelines as far as setting up of the infrastructure was concerned.

She said most private institutions have of late been busy establishing the labs in accordance to the recommended designs and features.

“They have exhibited dedication in establishing the infrastructure and more so the labs, which is a basic requirement under the new curriculum.

"The students will be joining secondary schools where sciences are key subjects, thus the labs are equally a necessity,” Chege said.

The PS further praised CBC saying it seeks to tap the talents and skills that will prepare children to venture into a vibrant job market that is in sync with the needs of modern society.

She termed the 8-4-4  system as a long torturous basic literary system that has seen students overstay in the primary phase of their academics, unlike most systems where students take less than six years.

Private Schools Association vice chairman Solomon Munene thanked the government for their continual support.

He lauded the state for it’s guidance and the opportunity for students to advance their junior secondary education in private schools.

Kirinyaga education officer Nancy Munga said the county has achieved an 85 per cent progress in readiness for the implementation of the junior secondary school system. 

She said the county education board has been working tirelessly to create awareness and assess the state of the tuition infrastructure and pledged that soon all the targeted institutions will be fully compliant.

Kirinyaga Central education officer Kennedy Machora said 25 private schools within the subcounty have been given a green light to advance in the new education system.

He lauded the reception the CBC is steadily gaining from various stakeholders saying they will continue undertaking awareness forums.

Machora said he is confident that by next year there will be about 10,000 slots within the subcounty for the advancement of junior secondary education.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)