The Ministry of Education (MoE) is set to build 8,000 new laboratories for Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) across the country in a bid to ensure that the implementation of the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is a success.
It has been approximated that the government is set to allocate Kes. 10 billion and cover around 40% of the required facilities.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu revealed this during his visit to Junior Secondary Schools located in Kisii Central.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education reiterated that the government is also committed to providing proper funding for every child and reassured that there will be no backtracking to reinstate the outgoing 8-4-4 system of education.
Machogu revealed that each laboratory would cost around Kes. 1.2 million and implored members of Parliament (MPs) to prioritize and fund more laboratory construction through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
He also said that the government had held a discussion with the World Bank regarding funding and that the ministry had enough classrooms. However, he noted that renovations needed to be carried out in order to meet the target for Junior Secondary School (JSS) level.
CS Machogu revealed that the government would release funds meant for the JSS and that each learner will be allocated Kes. 15,040.
Secondary School students will continue receiving Kes. 22,244 per learner with primary school pupils being allocated Kes. 1,420 per learner.
Machogu revealed that despite having achieved 96% transition to Junior Secondary, 15,460 students are still yet to report to Junior Secondary School.
He stated that the CBC is the best system of education to impart competency skills to children and emphasized on the government’s commitment to not reverting to the 8-4-4 system of education.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) reported that 84% of Kenyans wanted the CBC to be implemented.
Machogu also revealed that most stakeholders of education preferred that Junior Secondary Schools be domiciled in primary schools, citing the level of readiness and training that teachers underwent in preparation for the CBC for more than seven years.
CS Machogu said that public schools have facilities that are better than some private schools as shown by better performances of pupils from public schools in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.
The CS also revealed that the government had achieved a 91% transition to secondary school.