Public and private schools have revealed that they will not be using the same uniforms for Grade Seven learners next year.
This was revealed in a meeting that involved both the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) and the Kenya Private Schools Association (KEPSA) where they said that they will use different uniforms for junior secondary school learners.
Following the collection of views from the public across the country, the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER) proposed the domiciling of junior secondary schools in primary schools, but with a different set of uniforms.
It has also been reported that the different school uniforms are because in future, junior secondary schools will have their own principal, teachers and Boards of Management (BOMs).
However, junior secondary schools are going to the domiciled primary schools for the time being with a senior teacher from the junior secondary school teachers set to be identified to assist with running the schools.
Under the new Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), Junior Secondary School (JSS) comprises grades 7, 8 and 9.
According to the PWPER’s recommendations, an extra laboratory is to be built in every primary school. This is set to be prioritized in 2023.
To bridge any shortfalls in laboratories, primary schools that are near secondary schools will share laboratories and other facilities with junior secondary schools.
Junior secondary school learners will be day scholars. The Ministry of Education is also set to abolish boarding schools for primary schools and junior secondary schools from next year.
According to the Principal Secretary for Basic Education Dr Belio Kipsang, day schools will allow learners to be close to their parents and guardians as well as save on the costs of having to pay huge fees for their learners.
The PWPER had also recommended to the government finance education by allocating more money for tuition.
Currently, the government has not allocated any funds to the CBC despite allocating capitation to schools for free education.
Most of the items that parents have to buy are for their children’s tuition components which should be covered by the government.