Parents Oppose KUPPET Ideas of Hosting Grade 8 in Secondary Schools
The National Parents Association’s leader, Silas Obuhatsa, questioned the financial impact of Kuppet’s ideas on parents.
KUPPET proposes that the Ministry incorporate junior secondary schools (JSS) into existing day secondary schools to ensure that every Kenyan child has access to quality education, not just access to education.
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“This would mean huge spending on getting a new set of uniform, and even worse for parents whose learners will join boarding schools because they will have a bigger financial burden,” Obuhatsa said in a statement.
Instead, he believes the government should upgrade primary school facilities in preparation for the Grade 8 rollout.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) advocates for housing junior secondary schools in day secondary schools or making them self-contained. This approach they say will ensure that every Kenyan child has access to a high-quality education.
KUPPET claims that housing JSS in primary schools jeopardizes the quality of education received by the entire generation of pioneer junior secondary students, claiming that primary schools cannot provide a junior secondary level of education.
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Teachers have been complaining about lack of resources to implement proper learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), sports and Arts, and Social Sciences Pathways.
They claim that vital infrastructure such as science laboratories, sports facilities and equipment, and physical education programs are inadequate in all public primary schools across the country.
There are also fewer workshops available for technical and artistic topics such as Visual/Performing Arts, Home Science, and Pre-Technical Studies.
The teachers explained that a shortage of skilled teachers currently leaves these learning areas unattended. Addressing this issue, they assert that the only viable solution is to domicile Junior secondary school within senior secondary school.
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Apart from inadequate resources, teachers complain that they are teaching subjects for which they lack training. They questioned how a history and government teacher could effectively handle disciplines such as computer science, home science, Mandarin, French, German, sports, and physical education.
Underfunding and overburdening actively characterize junior secondary, compelling instructors to address learning subjects for which they are not equipped on.
Additionally, teachers assert that their perspectives go unheard due to what they identify as an inferiority complex syndrome endured by primary school teachers and headteachers.
“To ensure competent management and leadership of junior secondary students, teachers, and resources, junior secondary must be domiciled in secondary schools or equivalent.”
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Parents Oppose KUPPET Ideas of Hosting Grade 8 in Secondary Schools
