The Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha has said a total of 9,500 have been constructed across the country and now ready to accommodate the first cohorts of junior secondary.
While commissioning phase two of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classroom at Hon. John Njoroge High School in Kasarani in Nairobi this morning the CS said the remaining classes will be completed before learners join grade seven.
The Grade 6 learners are currently undergoing their last assessment which will end on 9th September.
During last years Mashujaa day celebrations, President Uhuru Kenyatta made the announcement that the government will set aside sh. 8 billion for constructing 10,000 junior secondary classes.
“Ministry of Education, jointly with Ministry of Interior and the National Treasury, shall establish a framework for the construction of the over 10,000 classrooms needed to provide the additional learning space required for the one million new students set to join junior secondary,” said Uhuru in Kirinyaga.
Approximately 1,268,83 Grade 6 learners will sit their Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exams from 28th to 30th November 2022.
The learners will then join junior secondary school at Grade 7 in January 2023. Currently the selection exercise for junior secondary is ongoing and will end on 10th September.
The learners will be placed in both public and private junior secondary schools during the placement exercise in December.
CS Magoha is banking on private schools to provide a total 5,000 classes for smooth transition of CBC classes.
The Ministry of Education has approved a good number of private primary and secondary schools for junior high selection exercise.
The Ministry officials said more private and public schools will be approved if they meet the required standards.
Magoha also asked parents to select day junior secondary schools near their homes. However he said those who wish to select prestigious schools far away from their homes are free to do so.
Transition of learners from Upper Primary to Junior Secondary School will be guided by the assessment outcomes of the KPSEA.
KPSEA will be a combination of the learners’ scores attained from the School Based Assessments (SBA) administered at Grade 4, 5 and 6 and National summative assessment to be administered in November year.
The School Based Assessments for each of the three Grades (i.e. Grades 4, 5 and 6) will constitute 20%, with the SBAs cumulatively accounting for 60% of scores to be used in reporting as learners transit to Junior Secondary School.
To this end, KNEC has already administered SBAs to the 2022 Grade 6 cohort at Grade 4 in 2020 and at Grade 5 in 2021.
KNEC kicked off administration of the Grade 6 SBA to the 2022 cohort from 18th July, 2022 and will end on 9th September, 2022.
KNEC will also administer the final summative assessment (KPSEA) to all the 2022 Grade 6 learners from 28th to 30th November 2022.
For summative assessment in November, KNEC will assess the thirteen subjects offered at Upper Primary level using five papers of multiple choice questions constituted as follows:
1. Mathematics;
2. English Language;
3. Kiswahili / Kenyan Sign Language;
4. Integrated Science (combines 4 subjects):
i) Science and Technology;
ii) Agriculture;
iii) Home Science;
iv) Physical and Health Education.
5. Creative Arts and Social Studies (combines 4 subjects):
i)Social Studies;
ii) Christian Religious Education/Islamic Religious Education/Hindu Religious Education;
iii) Art and Craft;
iv) Music.