•With 70 per cent of learners currently attending day schools, it is expected that the bulk of the CBC learners will proceed to day schools also referred to as subcounty schools.
•However, an assessment by the Education ministry indicates that the institutions suffer from inadequate resources and have lagged in infrastructure.
Image: ENOS TECHE
Day schools will be the biggest beneficiaries in the expansion of secondary schools to accommodate the expected surge in population when the Competency-Based Curriculum hits junior high school.
The government plans to construct more than 10,000 classrooms ahead of the transition of learners from primary to junior secondary schools.
The announcement was made by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Mashujaa day celebration.
Kenyatta directed the National Treasury to provide Sh8.1 billion for the project to support the primary to secondary school shift in the CBC.
“Ministry of Education, jointly with Ministry of Interior and the National Treasury, shall establish a framework for the construction of the over 10,000 classrooms needed to provide the additional learning space required for the one million new students set to join junior secondary,” Uhuru said.
With 70 per cent of learners currently attending day schools, it is expected that the bulk of the CBC learners will proceed to day schools otherwise referred to as subcounty schools.
However, an assessment by the Education ministry indicates that the institutions suffer from inadequate resources and have lagged in infrastructure.
The Star has established that the government seeks to concentrate on stepping up the infrastructure in day schools to accommodate the students.
Those in favour of day school expansion argue that it will be cheaper compared to boarding schools where both dormitory facilities would also need to be expanded to house the learners meaning it would be more expensive.
The expansion of day schools will mean, learners will go back home and the government will not worry about the expansion of boarding facilities.
Junior Secondary School is touted as a project that will gradually phase off-boarding schools.
“We want to ensure all secondary schools are of the same quality and standards,” MoE official told the Star.
The first CBC cohort moves to Junior Secondary School in 2023. In the first year of the new curriculum in secondary school, the student population of the institutions is expected to double.
This is because of the double intake of the CBC class and the 8-4-4 cohort.
Upon transition, the projected population in secondary school will hit 5.56 million learners.
Secondary schools will also host five classes from the current four.
During his Mashujaa Day address, President Kenyatta also called on MPs to prioritise constructing another 10,000 classrooms through funds issued under the Constituency Development Fund.
Should MPs honour the President’s call, a total of 20,000 classes will be constructed by 2023.
An ideal class is expected to accommodate an average of 40 learners. This means 20,000 classes will create room for about 800,000 new learners.
The President said the construction of one classroom would cost about Sh810,000.
He said they should be constructed by contractors based near the schools, and the money will be remitted directly to the contractors in their respective subcounties.
“This initiative will tap into the skilled manpower within the counties, empowering locals with enhanced economic opportunities,” Uhuru said.
However, the proposed number falls far short of the recommended 37,000 classrooms proposed by the CBC task force formed to provide a roadmap of the transition from primary to secondary school.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris