Junior Secondary School is set to be domiciled in primary schools with headteachers charged with running them.
It has now been revealed that headteachers of primary schools are set to enjoy a special allowance from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) starting next year.
According to reports, heads of schools will be tasked with additional managerial responsibilities and the Commission has plans to entice the headteachers with promotions and better pay for the Grade 7 assignment.
Primary school headteachers will manage both primary school and junior secondary school section which is set to be domiciled inside their current schools.
TSC directed Grade 7 learners to remain in primary schools in January and shall still be managed by the school headteachers.
The revelation on domiciling junior secondary schools and being managed by headteachers in primary schools was cemented when the TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi and the TSC head of legal affairs Cavin Anyuor while appearing before the Parliamentary Education Committee in Parliament.
During the session, Kitutu Masaba Member of Parliament Clive Gisairo, inquired about how the two categories shall run separately.
“Who will be the administrator, will they have different management in the same school or how will that be done?” asked MP Gisairo.
Anyuor responded by saying that Grade 7 will be under the management of primary schools.
“As it is, the administrator will still remain the headteacher of that primary school until junior secondary takes off,” he answered.
During the 18th Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) meeting of headteachers held in Mombasa, they implored the government to increase capitation for schools.
Johnson Nzioka, the Chairperson of KEPSHA said that the cost of running a primary school with 400 pupils is around Kshs. 3 Million per year.
Nzioka addressed the KEPSHA annual conference held at the Sheikh Zayed Children Welfare Centre in Mombasa saying that the demands are intended to make the learning environment better for the children, including those with special needs.
“The last review on capitation was done in 2010 when it was capped at Kshs. 1,400 per child. This figure falls below the requirements to effectively run a primary school. In our proposal, we have taken into account inflation rates, cost of living and depreciation,” said Nzioka.
The HOIs called on the government to promote head teachers in Grade D1. They said that the progression of the tutors at that level has stagnated for a long time.
“We also request that the progression of headteachers in Grade D1 be considered, given that many have stagnated in that grade,” he said.
On his part, Dr Kipsang promised that he will forward the proposals to the government and said that the heads were bearing huge responsibility after it was decided that junior secondary school (JSS) will be domiciled in primary schools.
In addition, he said that primary school teachers were expected to take Grade Seven learners through basic sciences. This, in his view, will require collaboration with nearby secondary schools to access laboratories and learning materials.
The HOIs proposed the increase of annual capitation per child be increased from Kshs. 1,400 to Kshs. 7,500.
The HOIs will be tasked with running more than 23,000 schools.
They claimed that the request for more funds will be because of inflation and the high cost of living in the country.