Details show that it will not be possible for all Grade 6 learners to join junior secondary at Grade 7 as day scholars.
The Grade 6 learners will transition to junior secondary school in January next year after sitting their final exams in primary school in November this year.
The test known as Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will start from 28th to 30th November 2022 with rehearsal day being on 25th November 2022.
Junior secondary school comprise of Grade 7, 8 and 9. After junior secondary learners will transition to senior secondary which involves Grade 10, 11 and 12.
However as Ministry of Education officials rush to complete construction of 10,000 CBC classrooms, reality start to sink that its impossible for all Grade 6 learners to operate as day scholars.
Education CS Prof. George Magoha said the Government is constructing 10,000 classrooms in schools across the country at a cost sh 8 billion to facilitate effective and smooth transition next year.
According to the education officials placement of Grade 6 learners into junior secondary will be informed by the distance from their homes.
The State department overseeing the implementation of CBC said that the learners will be posted to junior high schools based on proximity to their former primary school.
“Posting of learners to junior high will be informed by the capability of parents to transport a child to the school they have chosen,” Ruth Mugambi, the technical adviser to the Principal Secretary on CBC matters said.
Education CS Prof. George Magoha clarified that junior Secondary School will be offered in both boarding and day secondary schools across the country.
Magoha however said all Grade 6 learners joining junior secondary will be day scholars.
But as things stand especially in areas classified as Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) the distance of secondary schools to primary schools make it near impossible for learners to be day scholars.
Unless parents agree to dig deeper into their pockets to help their children manage the huge distance to the nearest secondary schools it will not be possible for learners.
With the current inflation and high cost of fuels most parents may not manage transport charges for three years their children will be studying in junior secondary.
Despite pressure to take junior secondary classes to primary school, the ministry officials have insisted that it will be domiciled in secondary schools.
Magoha said only a total of 1,500 primary schools will host junior secondary school because they have adequate learning and teaching facilities and land for physical expansion.
Early Learning and Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan, said private primary schools that have decided to move on to junior secondary, have until August to prepare, so as to admit junior secondary school students by January 2023.
Speaking in Eldoret while on a two-day tour to check on the readiness of private primary schools in terms of junior secondary admission preparedness, the PS said the main idea was to encourage as many private schools as possible that were offering primary education to go-ahead and start junior secondary to enable learners to transition smoothly.
“The schools we are keen on are schools that have decided to move into junior secondary. We are checking if they will be ready latest by August to admit junior secondary learners by January next year,” said the PS.
He added that what the Education Ministry was trying to do was to ensure a smooth transition of learners from primary to junior secondary and because many parents would wish their learners continued in the same schools, especially in day schools, the ministry is pushing the private sector and those owning private primary schools to ensure they construct wings for Junior Secondary.
To offer Junior Secondary Education, the PS added, the Private primary schools need to have adequate space for expansion and construction of classrooms, a laboratory for basic experiments, and a playing field for the learners.
He also encouraged schools to start as many subjects as possible like music, art, and craft which will enable learners to improve their learning skills.