Uncertainty over Junior Secondary kick-off As Parents Issue Demands
The uncertainty surrounding the commencement of the 2023 academic calendar intensified after parents made new requests to the government regarding the Junior Secondary start date.
On Friday, January 13, parents addressed the media and decried the government’s lack of readiness, adding that many parents were unaware of the level’s requirements.
In some cases, parents questioned why the government had not provided them with the required textbooks and fee structure despite the fact that only ten days left before the reopening of schools.
“So far, nobody has communicated with us in regard to what needs to be done, bought, and the fee structure of the schools,” Cecilia Ratemo, a parent, lamented.
Collins Oyuu, the secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), advised Junior Secondary School (JSS) parents to brace for hard times.
Oyuu, who attended the KICD stakeholders meeting to discuss JSS, stated that the government had guaranteed them that it would make education cheap for parents.
“Let us not be hyper on what shall be paid as school fees. Who has told you about the school fees that shall be paid? I am happy that the government is silent about it.
"Parents started preparing as early as when Competency Based Curriculum was announced,” he said in an interview with Nation.
“When these learners are getting to JSS, the government is not keen on pronouncing itself on subsidized secondary education.
After all, it is junior secondary. Let us pray that education becomes free in this country. Let the government take charge,” added the unionist.
Akelo Misori, general secretary of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), stated that school fees cannot be avoided.
Mr Misori stated that if the government capitation is to cover roughly Sh22,300 as normal, someone must be able to pay the additional fees and uniforms that cannot be covered by the capitation.
However, he demanded that the tuition must be lower than that of secondary institutions.
“This is because the students will be walking from home to school except those who have chosen to go to boarding where they were in Grade 6,” he said.
But according to education stakeholders, even though JSS is a primary school, parents are required to pay education since it is a secondary school.
Johnson Nzioka, chairman of the Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association, pushed the state to enhance capitation at a conference held in Mombasa last December.
Mr. Nzioka stated that the last review was conducted in 2010, and the per-child maximum was set at Sh1,400.
He says this number needs to be revised to operate a primary school efficiently.
“In our proposal, we have taken into account inflation rates, cost of living, and depreciation,” he said.
Mr Nzioka stated that the annual cost of operating a primary school with 400 students is Sh3 million.
“This calculated per child will come to Sh7,500 per year,” he said.
The government has begun assessing and registering primary schools for junior secondary to host Grade 7 students before reopening schools for the first term, with the first cohort slated to begin classes on January 30.
During the operation, a multi-agency team led by education and security officials inspects both public and private schools to ensure they have the ability and facilities to accommodate the students.
Primary institutions that cannot house Junior Secondary Schools will not be permitted to host students in Grade 7.
Instead, the Ministry of Education will transfer the students to nearby institutions.
Uncertainty over Junior Secondary kick-off As Parents Issue Demands