Grade 9 Learners To Remain In Primary. The Ministry of Education has opposed the transfer of grade 9 students to secondary schools. This is as advocated by several stakeholders.
This implies that the pilot program for the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) will continue in grade 9 next year. This will put an end to the doubts and fear that this pioneer class would be transferred to a secondary school.
Belio Kipsang, the principal secretary for education, refuted allegations that grade 9 students are not ready to attend basic schools.
Construction of 16,000 classrooms Begins
The education PS said that the government has started building 16,000 primary classrooms nationwide. This is even though primary schools lack the infrastructure necessary to accommodate grade 9. Based on calculations, the government has eight months to get ready for the changeover.
“We are ready for our kids to start grade 9 the following year. We will be building 16,000 classrooms in a marathon, but Kenyans are not afraid of long distances, according to Kipsang.
The PS made these remarks while in attendance at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) stakeholders conference. The focus was on reforming teacher education and assessing senior school readiness.
Grade 9 Learners To Remain In Primary
The PS said domiciling the Junior School in primary school is reflects the desires of the education stakeholders after a thorough consultation with the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms which was implemented last year.
Presidential Working Party On Education Reforms
“Ninety three percent of Kenyans decoded through the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms that we are domiciling Junior School in primary level, we are not about to change that because we even don’t have a window to do that,” said Kipsang.
Now stakeholders who sought the grade 9 to be moved to secondary schools have now been dealt a blow by the Ministry of Education . This also extends to parents who also demanded that the grade 9 learners be moved to Secondary Schools starting next year.
Should the Ministry permit this to occur, it would represent a substantial shift from the present choice to locate Junior School (grades 7, 8, and 9) in elementary school.
Chairman of the National Parents Association Silas Obuhatsa reaffirmed that having junior school in the elementary grades will hinder proper implementation and dilute all the hard work that has been done.
Grade 9 Learners To Remain In Primary
The chairman affirmed that because grade 9 will not be able to be taught in these existing conditions. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to move this grade to secondary schools, which have more facilities.
He maintained that students transferring from preschool to grade one in primary school require an extra class.
“Is it feasible for the government to build 15,000 classrooms by the next year?” Obuhatsa stated as much, pointing out that this is the approximate number of classrooms that will be required for grade 9 students in the upcoming school year.
Obuhatsa went on to say that rather than building new, impractical classrooms, secondary schools will have a vacant class to house grade 9 students as there won’t be any admittance of form one next year.
Considering where these students live, the implementation of junior secondary schools in Kenya has, in general, remained a nightmare.
This is a result of primary schools having insufficient space and having insufficient teachers to cover the majority of the curriculum. The severely tainted system has led to a shortage of enough guidelines to run the schools.
Grade 9 Learners To Remain In Primary