President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed Chiefs, their Assistants and Education Officials to ensure all the 2018 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates join form one next year. Speaking during this year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations at the the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, today, the president said the government is providing free education at the basic level and hence there is no reason for any child not to be in class.
“I expect all National and County Government officials to shoulder full responsibility (personally and collectively) towards the achievement of our Basic Education Policy Goals, especially the one hundred percent transition from primary to secondary schools. Following the conclusion of the selection of Form One students for 2019, I will hold education officials, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs accountable for enforcing full compliance of this policy. Each of them must keep track of learners who sat for this year’s KCPE within their respective jurisdictions and ensure that all of them report to secondary schools,” the President directed. Chiefs and their assistants have been instructed to physically ‘push’ all students to nearby schools within their areas of jurisdiction.
The selection for the 2018 KCPE candidates, to join form one, has been completed for National, Extra County, County and Sub- County schools. The selection which was done electronically for National, Extra County and County schools has been criticized by some parents and politicians as being inefficient. The Ministry of education officials, on Monday this week, started handling cases for kids with complaints and/ or requests to alter the schools in which they were placed during the selection. The 2019 form ones are expected to report to secondary schools between 5th and 11th January, 2018.
President Uhuru said his government was pumping more resources to the education sector in order to realize his big four agenda. “In our continuing efforts to develop an education sector that empowers Kenyans to be engaged citizens and competitive entrepreneurs, my Administration is increasing investment in free and compulsory primary and secondary education. We shall continue to improve the quality of teaching and the infrastructure of our learning institutions,” the head of state said.
The head of State advised those who completed class 8 (eight) this year, and are proceeding to Secondary School in 2019, to remain committed to working hard, behave decently, love their country and protect it from its enemies, and most importantly embrace integrity. “We are counting on you to take over from us and lead this country to the next level of development,” the President added.
The influx of learners to Secondary schools will cause massive strains on the already inadequate human and physical facilities. Appearing before the Senate Committee on Education, Yesterday, Education Cabinet Secretary (Dr Amina Mohammed) said there is a huge shortage of teachers at the public schools; both primary and Secondary schools. The cabinet Secretary also announced that her Ministry had put on hold the rolling out of the new curriculum.
The yet to be rolled out Contributory Pension Scheme, Delocalization and promotions of teachers will form part of the discussions during this year’s Annual Delegates Conference, ADC, for the two teachers’ unions ( Kenya National Union of Teachers, KNUT, and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers) in Nairobi this week.
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