Why Grade 9 preparation is in jeopardy, three months to rollout

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government has secured funding for the construction of 11,000 classrooms from the World Bank. [File, Standard] Uncertainty surrounds the construction of at least 5,000 classes needed for the transition of learners to Grade 9 in January next year. With less than 100 days left, time is quickly running out, leaving many schools ill-equipped to accommodate the additional learners. A nationwide assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education revealed a shortfall of over 16,000 classrooms. In a presentation before the National Assembly committee on Education, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government has secured funding for the construction of 11,000 classrooms from the World Bank. The classes, the CS said, will be constructed in two phases with the first phase of 3,500 classes 70 per cent complete. The second phase will see the construction of 7,500 classes at the cost of Sh7.5 billion and is expected to be complete by December. This means that schools will still be struggling with a deficit of 5,000 classes, which according to plans by the Education Ministry will be constructed by funds from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). However, the allocation of funds for classroom construction of the 5,000 remaining classes under NG-CDF has been delayed. "The sum of Sh3.37 billion was allocated to the NG-CDF, for the construction of another 5,000 classrooms. The funds are yet to be disbursed by the National Treasury. The Ministry is pursuing the matter with the National Treasury for timely release of the funds," Ogamba told MPs last week. Besides the classes, Kenya Primary School Heads Association chairman, Johnson Nzioka said that schools will also need basic supplies such as furniture; chairs and desks for the Grade 9 learners. CS Ogamba indicated that school heads will be required to purchase the desks and chairs for the ninth graders using part of the capitation sent to schools. "Every public junior school with learners on NEMIS gets Sh15,043 per learner per year. There is a vote head on repairs and improvement of school infrastructure, which is currently Sh4,000 per learner per year. The Ministry has directed that the money under this vote head for this term be strictly used for the provision of desks and chairs for Grade 9 learners," the CS said. However, Nzioka said the funds have already been disbursed and put to use in some institutions. Nicholas Maiyo, the National Parents Association chairman said the lack of basic supplies will expose parents to exploitation.He suggested a plan be worked to allow some secondary schools share such supplies when schools reopen. "Secondary schools will not have a Form One class next year. So, the desks and chairs that will be surplus can be moved to junior schools," Maiyo said on phone. Additionally uncertainty further surrounds the availability of teachers to handle junior school. According to data from Teachers Service Commission (TSC), there are 60,000 teachers handling the current two classes in Junior School, Grade 7 and 8. The teachers have previously raised concern of a bloated routine and even compelled to take up more classes than they are expected and in subjects they lack mastery. Nairobi Junior School interns representative Boniface Omari said they expect a major surge in classroom workload once schools reopen in January. Despite the TSC indicating it will employ some 20,000 new interns teachers, Omari said, the exercise is facing delays and the teachers could report later than January leaving the current intern teachers with a heavy workload.

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