The Ministry of Education will abolish boarding schools for primary schools and junior secondary schools, Grades One to Nine, from next year.
Announcing the hugely significant policy shift, the principal secretary for Basic Education, Dr Belio Kipsang, said the learners need to be close to their parents and guardians.
He said less than five per cent of public primary schools have boarding facilities. Speaking during the official opening of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association meeting at Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Primary School in Mombasa, the PS said the government prefers day schooling for junior secondary.
This comes as a shocker for parents whose children are already enrolled in boarding schools, but the move was praised by headteachers, who insisted parents must take up the responsibility of raising their children.
“The real reason we want to do away with boarding schools is to make education affordable. On average, parents pay up to Sh45,000 per year in extra county schools and Sh53,000 in national schools. It’s even higher in private schools,” explained the PS.
The policy shift is one of the recommendations made by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms and presented to President William Ruto last Thursday.
The President announced that junior secondary school will be domiciled in primary school, a departure from earlier plans to have it in secondary school.
The government will also not allow private schools to register boarding sections for junior secondary school. Registrations for new private primary schools seeking to have boarding facilities will also not be approved.
“We must walk together to make learners acquire [good] values. It’s the only way we shall be able to engage with our children. For the first nine years of learning, between Grades One and Nine, the government will insist on day schooling,” Dr Kipsang said, adding that this will allow parents to play their role within the competency-based curriculum and not delegate their responsibilities to teachers.
Yesterday, in a speech read on his behalf by Dr Kipsang at the conference, Dr Ruto said he will ensure access to education for all by partnering with stakeholders to build low-cost boarding schools in arid and semi-arid areas and for pastoralists communities, in what the PS said was an “intervention policy”.
“When their parents go out to look for pasture, we want to make sure the children are in school. We are encouraging all junior secondary schools to strive to be an environment that allows children to be close and bond with their parents. For the existing boarding facilities, local communities and the state will agree on the way forward,” he added.
Most headteachers welcomed the change. Around 10,000 primary school headteachers attended he 18th Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association in Mombasa.
“We applaud the ministry for abolishing the boarding schools. This will ensure that learners are close to their parents. These are young children who need close supervision from their parents,” said Ms Alice Kabeka, the headteacher of Baguo Primary School in Malindi County.
The headteacher of Gathonga Day and Boarding Primary School from Tharaka Nithi County, Ms Anne Babu, termed the move as a “good initiative”.
“However, we want to be advised further because parents have already prepared to bring their children to our boarding facilities. What happens to facilities like dormitories? Maybe we can rent them out to tenants,” said Ms Babu whose school has 350 learners, most of them boarders.
Ms Rosemary Nyong’o, the headteacher of Ryururu Girls Boarding Primary School in Meru County, said: “The only challenge now is that, when you go up to Grade Nine, we don’t have facilities. If there are no boarding schools, it means our children will have to go to day schools, therefore our schools will be deserted, and we will have to close shop,” she said, adding that the school recently introduced day schooling for play group learners up to Grade Three pupils.
Dr Kipsang urged school managers to be conversant with the responsibilities that arise from domiciling junior secondary schools within their institutions.
“Start validating and verifying data. We want to ensure that each one of us can host junior secondary and, where we think we can share responsibilities with neighbouring schools, let’s say it,” said Dr Kipsang. According to the Ministry of Education, almost 50 per cent of public primary schools have secondary schools nearby. There are more than 23,000 public primary schools.
“The most critical facility [are science laboratories], therefore we shall be required to share some of [them],” said the PS.
However, he assured Kenyans that his ministry will collaborate with its partners, including parliamentarians, to put up enough infrastructure and to ensure that all learners have access to basic facilities such as laboratories and books.
Dr Kipsang urged the teachers to capture all the information required of them in the National Education Management Information System, saying, the ministry will use the system to get all its data on schools, capitation, distribution of books as well as to address other concerns on the education sector.
It’s adraw
It is all very wrong for one individual to come up with a decision affecting the the lives of children of this country and say that it’s a policy
No . The boarding should remain .it is the choice of the parents to take their children to boarding or to stay at home
Let’s all work together as stakeholders to ensure that our children get quality education. We are all Kenyans and we need each other. Alone you can’t move far.
What happens to orphaned children and others in rescue centres against FGM? Rethink this blanket policy. Some leaners will be negatively impacted by the decision to abolish boarding primary schools. Sponsors
and supporters of such children (including organisations) may not be able to play the intended parental roles. Have such situations been considered in the new policy?
Children who have been in boarding schools should not be taken to day school and the CS should have consulted parents first before making such statements.
All children may be affected by this.
The government has made a very good move. Young children should be under parents watch
This is so heavy to most children within the country. Remember there are opharns who don’t need to be reminded daily of the absence of their children. There are toxic family (data saying it’s more than 40% of families in Kenya), where daily must be a disagreement, fight between the parents or even clan conflicts, mentally, how will these children survive? Cs here making such a decision needs alot of consultation and time to check on so many things. You are now killing the future of millions of students who could have made it in life.
This is serious decision which need sober minds I think this policy should be done away with parents should come together to stop this .some parents have even paid until next year I think the person is not serious
There are consequences of making policies before proper planning. First build the infrastructure needed before making a policy or curriculum change ( junior secondary??) If wishing to abolish boarding primary then phase it out so parents and boarding school managers have time to adjust to the changes.
What about special schools like for the physically handicapped, blind etc….?
It’s a capsizing vessel in deep waters,easier said than done.I am a spectator.
The government have made a very good move. young children should be under parents watch, lets take our responsibilities it’s for the good of our children.
Consult first then decide. This rushed. Some parents are working far from home and children would be better in boarding schools. Good intentions yes, but it’s not practicable, sad to say coz those shoving the decision are learned people doing that without any due diligence. From the onset those appraise this appear to be people pleasers not serious policy makers.
Revise the schooling years as follows; 2yrs (pre school); 7yrs (Primay), 5yrs (Secondary) & 3yrs university/college.
Have 5yrs as Junior pry and 2yrs senior pry. At secondary, 3yrs junior and 2 yrs senior high school.