Machogu Asks Headteachers to Accommodate JSS Students Without Uniforms
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has directed Junior Secondary Schools to permit students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to use their primary school uniforms.
According to Machogu, some parents are grappling with the financial burden of acquiring new uniforms for their children transitioning from grade six to JSS due to the high cost of living.
To address this issue, he has instructed school heads not to send learners home over uniform-related matters and has emphasized the importance of accommodating these students during the transition period.
ALSO READ: Machogu Sets Record Straight on ECDE Centres Takeover Speculations
In a bid to achieve a 100 percent transition rate, Machogu revealed that the government has recently allocated Sh46 billion to the education sector. Of this amount, Sh7.8 billion has been allocated to Junior Secondary Schools, Sh4.7 billion to primary schools, and Sh16 billion to secondary schools.
To ensure transparency and accountability, Machogu stressed that schools should not claim a lack of funds since the allocations were disbursed two weeks ago.
During the county education day at Mumbi grounds in Murang’a county, Machogu urged school heads not to impose construction fees on parents for new classrooms.
He highlighted that the 8-4-4 education system has already provided sufficient classrooms for grades seven and eight.
Additionally, the government has set aside Sh3.39 billion in conditional grants for all 290 constituencies to construct classrooms, with an additional Sh9 billion from the World Bank allocated to build 9,000 classrooms this year.
ALSO READ: Parents and Students Warned of Non-accredited Colleges and Institutions
Machogu assured that, by next year, there will be 15,025 classrooms to accommodate grade nine, eliminating any shortage issues.
Addressing concerns about irregularities in the KCSE examinations, Machogu announced that a decision on the reported 4,000 irregularities would be made within the next two weeks.
School heads from institutions implicated in these irregularities are scheduled to appear before a committee established by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Notably, Machogu commended Murang’a county for not having any reported irregularities out of the 4,000 cases, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity in the examination process.
Machogu also encouraged parents to guide students who did not attain a C+ to enroll in tertiary institutions like Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
ALSO READ: Do Not Pay for JSS Classroom Construction, Machogu tells Parents
He highlighted the Kenya Kwanza administration’s efforts to create employment opportunities for such individuals.
Moreover, the education ministry has allocated Sh3.39 billion for scholarships to support financially needy university students and an additional Sh10.9 billion for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Machogu Asks Headteachers to Accommodate JSS Students Without Uniforms
