Govt Releases Guidance on Grade 9 Student Placement.
The Ministry of Education has firmly guaranteed a seamless transition for students from Junior Secondary School (JSS) to Senior School, rebuffing calls from some education stakeholders to move the last grade of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) to secondary institutions in an effort to allay parents’ growing anxieties and rumors.
This implies that when the CBC pioneer class moves up to Grade 9 the following year, they will finish their studies at their present institutions.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 3, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang allayed worries regarding junior schools’ capacity to handle students in Grade 9.
Acknowledging that the shift would not be easy, Kipsang disclosed plans to build 16,000 classrooms to house these students.
“We are ready for our kids to start Grade 9 the following year. The construction of 16,000 classrooms is about to begin, and Kipsang reaffirmed that Kenyans are not afraid of a challenge.
At the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), at a conference for stakeholders, Kipsang said that the government will present twelve bills that would set rules for students moving from elementary to senior high school.
He understood the worry parents were feeling in the midst of Junior Secondary School’s strict execution.
He said that in order to guarantee the proper delivery of the CBC, the ministry would present a sessional paper that will examine the operational expenditures incurred by students.
This document offers a policy framework for sustainable planning in education, training, and research, based on the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER).
Furthermore, Kipsang gave assurances that the government is dedicated to finishing the current JSS cycle and assisting parents and kids in making a seamless transition to senior secondary school.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms consulted with education stakeholders, and their wishes were taken into consideration when deciding to keep Junior School in elementary institutions. Kipsang emphasized that this decision was backed by 93% of Kenyans.
Nevertheless, several stakeholders who pushed for the transfer of Grade 9 students to secondary schools have been thwarted by the ministry’s position.
Recent parent demands to move Grade 9 students to a different location have reignited discussion on the subject.
The head of the National Parents Association, Silas Obuhatsa, voiced worries about the institutions’ presence in primary schools potentially weakening the CBC’s implementation.
He underlined that more classrooms were required because of the arrival of Grade One students and the finalist class.
“Is the government able to construct 15,000 classrooms between now and next year?” Obuhatsa inquired about the anticipated quantity of classrooms needed for the shift.
He proposed that there might be enough room for the pupils if secondary schools did not accept Form One applicants the next year.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) suggested dividing junior secondary education into two sections in February, with Grade 9 being transferred to high school. Stakeholders’ responses to this proposal, which sought to overcome implementation issues with JSS, were not quite unanimous.
Kuppet’s secretary general, Akello Misori, stated, “Time is still there to make amends.” As he struggled in Grade 7, which is still housed in primary school, he advocated for moving Grade 8 to senior school.
Govt Releases Guidance on Grade 9 Student Placement.
DOWNLOAD K.C.S.E MOCKS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
K.C.S.E PAST PAPERS 1998-2023 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM TEACHERS FORUM
){kind=link}