CS Machogu Assures Seamless JSS Transition
The Education Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Ezekiel Machogu, has stated that the transition of learners to Junior Secondary School (JSS) is progressing well, despite several challenges.
According to Machogu, 96% of learners have reported to school, which is a positive development.
However, he acknowledged that learning has not fully taken off in some public JSS across the country due to a lack of adequate funding, textbooks, and a poor pupil-to-teacher ratio.
The Kenyan government had promised to release capitation funds worth Ksh. 15,000 per learner in JSS, but this money has not yet been released. This has left many schools struggling to sustain learning activities.
Moreover, a spot check by Citizen Television revealed that learning in some public JSS is yet to fully take off. School heads also raised concerns over the poor pupil-to-teacher ratio, which they say is affecting learning outcomes.
Despite these challenges, the CS insisted that the government was well-prepared for the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and that the “CBC train has already left the station.”
He announced that 17,800,000 JSS textbooks have been distributed to public schools across the country, but some schools have yet to receive adequate textbooks in all the core learning areas.
While some teachers are trying to keep their learners busy by downloading notes from the internet, others are concerned that the textbooks they have received are for optional subjects like German, which they cannot use since they lack experts in that area.
In conclusion, the transition of learners to JSS in Kenya has faced several challenges, including a lack of funding, textbooks, and a poor pupil-to-teacher ratio.
Although the government has distributed textbooks to public schools, some schools have yet to receive adequate textbooks in all the core learning areas.
While CS Machogu remains confident that the CBC train has already left the station, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure a smooth transition to JSS and the successful implementation of the CBC.
CS Machogu Assures Seamless JSS Transition
