2nd phase of CBC Classroom Construction To Begin This Week
The Ministry of Education will begin delivering the second phase of CBC classrooms at the end of this week.
This is despite the fact that it has struggled to deliver the 6,497 classrooms in Phase I that it had hoped to deliver before the start of national examinations in March.
A few classrooms remain unfinished with Prof Magoha warning that CBC classroom contractors who have delayed their work will not be involved in the project’s second phase.
An earlier survey conducted by The Nation revealed that many contractors struggled to complete the work due to rising building material costs since the project’s inception late last year.
“Only contractors who’ve completed will be in Phase II. The money is there. Having an election doesn’t mean we stop working. We’ll continue working until the next minister is sworn in. The only challenge we have is that we get value for money,” Prof Magoha said.
The ministry pays Sh788,000 for the construction of one classroom, which is less than the Sh1.26 million recommended by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Secondary schools will need approximately 30,000 classrooms, among other facilities, to be ready to admit the 1.4 million students when the competency-based curriculum (CBC) is implemented in the junior secondary in January of next year.
According to official data, the double intake of CBC and 8-4-4 students will result in a 1,489,144 place shortfall in secondary schools.
With a recommended class size of 45 to 50 students, this would necessitate the construction of 29,783 additional classrooms, far exceeding the 10,000 earmarked by the government for completion by the end of next month.
Many secondary schools are also significantly over-enrolled given their current population.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, the government is also counting on private schools to supplement its efforts and build 5,000 additional classrooms.
Private schools have only completed 1,200 so far. The inspection of private school classrooms for compliance with health and safety guidelines is ongoing.
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With only six months left, parents and other stakeholders are still in the dark about the criteria to be used to place learners in junior secondary.
The CS also stated that the ministry is developing placement guidelines.
2nd phase of CBC Classroom Construction To Begin This Week
