KUPPET Wants Boarding Schools Abolished
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has voiced its support for additional day schools and advocated for the abolishment of boarding wings in sub-county schools.
KUPPET also lauded the Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s proposal to introduce day wings in boarding schools.
The teachers’ union also proposed that the government abolishes boarding sections in sub-county schools so that they can admit most of the learners from the surrounding area.
If the government takes up the proposal, only extra-county and national schools will be allowed to keep boarding sections.
Sub-county secondary schools are the lowest level of secondary schools that accept students from the hosting district (immediate surrounding area). This category includes day schools and former provincial schools with a day wing.
National, extra county, and county schools make up the top tier of schools. Across the country, there are 112 national schools, 776 extra-county schools, 1,301 county schools, and 6,297 sub-county schools.
The KUPPET Executive Secretary Sabala Inyeni said that the Union’s and Machogu’s recommendations are consistent with the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and they support the involvement of the parent in child-rearing.
On Monday, Machogu said that when the placement of the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) allocated applicants into Form One, boarding schools should include day wings ti improve access and reduce the cost of education.
Machogu also revealed that approximately 70% of the students attend day schools, which is a clear indicator that greater effort should be invested to improve access and make education cheaper.
According to the CS, approximately 70% of students attend day schools, a clear indicator that greater effort should be devoted to expanding day schools.
“I encourage boarding schools to introduce day wings to enhance access and cut down costs of education. This is also in line with CBC for parental engagement in the delivery of curriculum, said Machogu.
He revealed that 72% of the schools are day schools while only 28% of them are boarding schools.
However, CS Machogu revealed that the government will not eliminate boarding schools. He said that the one hundred percent transition policy necessitates the expansion and improvement of day school facilities in order to accommodate more students.
In a statement made yesterday, Mr. Inyeni said that the union is in agreement with the proposal of the CS. He said that the introduction of day wings in boarding schools is absolutely appropriate.
“The new curriculum is structured in such a way that a parent has a bigger role to play in the development of a child. Parental involvement has been left to the teachers,” said Inyeni.
Inyeni said that the implementation of day wings will encourage parents to keep in touch with their children.
He said that the KUPPET official stated that the teaching profession is currently being localized due to the reversal of the delocalization policy.
Besides, he added that it would also be appropriate to localize schools by introducing day wings.
“Parents leave children to the teachers. We would wish boarding schools be phased out starting with primary schools, then sub-county schools, save for extra-county and national schools,” said Inyeni.
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