More than sixty thousand (60,000) secondary schools teachers are set to undergo training on how to teach in junior secondary schools. The training is set to take place in March and April this year.
At the moment of writing this article, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has trained 120,000 primary school teachers on how to teach grade six learners in the coming term.
The Commission and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) organized the training which took place in December and lasted for four (4) days.
Next year, the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) will be joining the secondary school level with junior secondary school set to include Grades 7, 8 and 9.
The pioneer learners of the new curriculum in the new 2-6-3-3-3 CBC system will join junior secondary school following the Grade Six (6) national examinations.
With the new curriculum set to demand even more classrooms, the government is overseeing the construction of 11,600 new classrooms in schools across the country.
This is following a pledge from President Uhuru during the Mashujaa Day celebrations held in Kirinyaga that the government will build 10,000 junior secondary classrooms after setting aside Sh. 8 billion for the same.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, the first phase will involve the construction of classes for learners who will be transitioning from primary to junior secondary schools.
On his part, Dr Matiang’i revealed that the classes will be ready just in time for the looming double intake.
Private schools were also allowed to construct more classes to ease the burden of congestion that could be caused by the transition to junior secondary school.
However, Education CS Prof George Magoha said that while construction of new classrooms is ongoing, the government does not have enough land that could be used for the construction of new classes or even new schools.
In addition, CS Magoha implored private schools to be adding structures that will help during the transition from primary to junior secondary school.
“Secondary schools in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu are not enough. We are asking private schools with the capacity to do so to set up more facilities,” said CS Magoha.
More than 8,000 headteachers urged the government to have grades 7, 8 and 9 domiciled in primary schools, arguing that they could handle junior secondary school. This was communicated during a KEPSHA meeting that was conducted in December.
They argued that this could enable parents to be involved in the upbringing of their children to stop arson cases that were reported in many schools last year before schools closed for the December break.
Hopes of primary school teachers who had graduated with degree secondary option but with a Mean Grade of C (Plain) in their KCSE were quashed last week when TSC announced that all teachers who shall teach in secondary schools must have attained a mean grade of C+.
This immediately locked out graduate P1 teachers who had a mean grade of C (Plain) in their KCSE from being posted to junior secondary schools.
TSC Deputy Director of Staffing Antonia Lentoijoni announced this, saying the announcement was non-negotiable.
Lentoijoni then stressed that this was to improve the standards of teaching in schools, which learners deserve.