Over 1.2 million Grade 7 pupils joining junior secondary next week will have new uniforms for their new status.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu warned school heads who direct parents to specific stores to purchase uniforms more costly than they should be.
This is among the government's plans to make Grade 7 transition affordable.
“Uniforms shall be the responsibility of parents and no school shall direct parents where to purchase the uniform,” the ministry's guidelines read.
Machogu has also directed that no student should be locked out of school for not having a uniform.
Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association chairman Johnson Nzioka said parents should be allowed to pick stores where they want to buy the uniforms.
Nzioka said uniform vendors will pick the designs from schools, including colour and shades.
“Parents may want to promote their local tailor back in the village, and that is allowed provided we have the same uniform,” Nzioka told the Star.
The directive did not sit well with some teachers who oppose having many shades of uniform.
"It's not a bad idea but how many purple colours do we have? If we say come with a purple shirt then we will see very many colours," a teacher said.
The teacher urged government to regulate prices and not where parents should buy uniforms.
"What they need to look at is ensuring all shirts are sold at a standard price; if it's Sh500 then it should be the same everywhere," she said.
The government directed schools to pick a suitable uniform design for the learners to differentiate Grade 7 and the primary school learners.
Nzioka, who is also Donholm Primary School head teacher, said the uniform change will make apparent the transition to JSS.
“The learners need to feel the actual transition from primary to junior secondary despite being domiciled in primary school,” Nzioka said.
For instance, girls in primary schools wear dresses while those in secondary school wear skirts and blazers.
This is similar to boys who wear shirts and shorts in primary and then wear shirts and trousers in secondary schools.
However, some secondary schools have Form 1 and Form 2 wear shorts, Form 3 and Form 4 wear trousers.
But for Grade 7, school heads are supposed to come up with one type of uniform across the board.
“At a minimum, one uniform set recommended per learner. The JSS uniform shall be sensitive to the cultural and religious values of the respective communities,” the guidelines read.
National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa urged school heads to be lenient on parents during this time.
Obuhatsa decried tough economic times, which he said are already burdening parents.
“When parents are being forced to buy uniforms through unscrupulous means in the name of business, then those are cartels and their members should be arrested,” Obuhatsa said.
Schools located in areas with diverse climatic conditions are required to consider designs that will favour the learners.
“The JSS leadership SHALL determine the uniform to include additional unique features for identification and branding of their institutions,” the guidelines read.
For example in the Coast region where temperatures are high, students have been wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts.
This still applies to cold regions, students in those areas currently wear long sleeved shirts, jumpers, headgear, leg warmers and scarves.
In secondary schools within the 8-4-4 education system, students have unique features like striped ties, blazers, striped socks and long-sleeved shirts.
Nzioka said the learners could be given an opportunity to wear trousers, just as in senior secondary school.
"Girls are grown up enough to wear skirts, parents can have the option of skirts with wraps and probably a long sleeved shirt," he said.
Kenya National Union of Teachers deputy secretary general Hesborn Otieno backed the move to curb directives to specific stores.
Otieno said allowing the habit to continue makes education a preserve for the rich and not accessible to all.
“It would be prudent to ask schools not to overstretch parents, considering that’s where some principals might have worked together with those suppliers so they get kickbacks,” Otieno said.
Aside from the change in uniforms, the ministry will also establish a complex school for all CBC learners.
This means a school complex will have pre-primary, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary.
The reforms stretch to the name of the school, removing the name ‘primary’ and replacing it with ‘school.’
For example, beginning next week when Grade 7 learners join Westlands Primary, the name changes to Westlands School.
“The primary school BoM shall, accord the JSS Management Committee, have special powers and responsibilities on financial matters of JSS,” the guidelines read.
However, the current head teacher will still act as the principal for the junior secondary category.
“The Comprehensive School shall be managed by a common BoM (for public schools); BoM, board of directors or board of trustees, in the case of private schools,” the guidelines read.
On financial matters, the government will disburse Sh9.6 billion capitation for all the 1.26 million Grade 7 learners.
“President William Ruto has directed that the National Treasury set aside Sh15,000 per learner as capitation to facilitate free learning in all public schools,” Machogu said.
For day schools, head teachers were directed not to charge parents any school fees.
But boarding primary schools will be allowed to charge boarding fees and other levies.
“It therefore means that no school should charge any fees for Grade 7 learners unless such schools have boarding wings," the CS said.
The JSS category will be expected to operate School Fund Bank Accounts for deposit of boarding fees, lunch and transport funds as well as payment of related expenses.
For smooth Grade 7 transition, schools are required to constitute a special subcommittee of the Primary School BoM that domiciles the JSS.
The JSS Management Committee will perform policy implementation; management of finances, physical facilities, staff, learners’ welfare, quality education and school community relations," the guidelines read.
The secretary of the committee shall be the school headteacher while the chairperson shall be a member.
Members of the committee include teachers, parents or local community members, sponsors, Persons with Disability and members of special interest groups.
Machogu has further adjusted the 2023 school calendar, making changes to the duration of the national exams.
The changes to the calendar will among others backtrack the dates for KCPE and Grade 6 assessment.
"KCPE and KPSEA will begin on November 30 and end on November 2," the circular reads.
This means the exam will take four days just as initial calendar.
Students writing the KCSE will also sit the exams from November 3 to 24.
This takes 21 days. The initial calendar showed KCSE exams would take place from November 10 to December 1.
"KCSE marking will begin on November 27 to December 15," the circular reads.
The first term will have 13 weeks, second term 14 weeks and third term will be the shortest with 10 weeks.
Students will break from October 28 to January 8. Initially, they were supposed to get two months' break from November 3 till 2024.
(Edited by V. Graham)
