17,000 Classrooms Promised as Grade Nine Transition Looms
“The PS made these remarks during the official opening of the 96th National Competition of the Kenya Music Festival at Moi Girls in Eldoret”
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang (wearing glasses) and Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii at the 96th national Kenya Music Festival competition held at Moi Girls High School in Eldoret, which began on Saturday.
The Kenyan government has initiated an ambitious project to construct over 17,000 classrooms in public primary schools to accommodate Grade Nine learners in January 2024, according to a senior Ministry of Education official.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has dismissed concerns raised by education stakeholders regarding the placement of Grade Nine learners, emphasizing that government-funded infrastructure projects are progressing as planned.
Kipsang refuted claims that the government has not allocated funds for classrooms for current Grade Eight students, asserting that resources have been earmarked for both classrooms and desks for the incoming Grade Nine cohort.
“There is no need for alarm as the government has allocated funds for both classrooms and desks for learners transitioning to Grade Nine next year,” Kipsang stated.
The PS made these remarks during the official opening of the 96th National Competition of the Kenya Music Festival at Moi Girls in Eldoret, an event attended by Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan. Over 140 public and private primary schools participated in the festival.
Kipsang’s comments address the ongoing debate about whether Grade Nine learners should be integrated into secondary schools or remain in primary institutions. Secondary school principals, led by their chairman Willy Kuria, have expressed their readiness to accommodate Grade Nine students in their existing classrooms, despite President William Ruto’s declaration that these learners will stay in primary schools.
“Secondary schools have adequate facilities and trained teachers that the government can utilize,” Kuria argued, referencing the 10,000 classrooms constructed in high schools during the tenure of former Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.
The PS further confirmed the government’s plan to recruit an additional 20,000 teachers to address the critical shortage, particularly in public junior secondary schools.
“We are in the process of hiring an extra 20,000 teachers to tackle the current deficit, mainly in junior secondary schools nationwide,” Kipsang concluded.
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