State to build 60 technical training schools

The Government will construct 60 new technical training institutes in 60 constituencies spread across the country.

Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang said yesterday the State has set aside Sh2.5 billion in the coming financial year for that purpose.

Kipsang said technical courses will play a crucial role in the realisation of Vision 2030, adding that it is the reason why the Government is laying emphasis on it.

“The new technical training institutes will help absorb the large number of students who usually do not meet the cut-off marks to join universities.

“They will also offer new courses like oil extraction in order to have human resource in oil extraction and exploration, following the discovery of oil in the country recently,” he said. In addition, Kipsang said the Government will provide free lunch to students in all public day secondary schools countrywide.

“We have raised the capitation per student from the current Sh10,000 to Sh13,500 in the coming financial year in order to take care of examinations fees and free lunch to all public secondary day scholars,” he said. The PS made the remarks at the weekend at Mary Hill Girls in Thika during celebrations to mark this year’s Catholic Education Day.

Dr Kipsang also said the State will, starting January next year, be paying for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination fees for pupils and students in all public primary and secondary schools, respectively.

EXAMINATION FEES

He said the move will help ease the burden parents have to shoulder annually when they are required to pay for examination fees.

The PS also said the State will soon initiate a process to review the current schools curriculum in order to align them with the new Constitution and Vision 2030 development blueprint.

The head of the Catholic Church in Kenya, John Cardinal Njue, accused the Government of seeking to block the church from running the affairs of the Catholic-run schools.

“I want to send the principal secretary to the Government with a message that the Basic Education Act should be reviewed soonest possible since the church has a role to play in the running of its sponsored schools,” Njue said.

But in his response, Dr Kipsang urged the church not to worry since the State had already initiated a process to amend the contentious clauses in the Act.