Why Junior Secondary Schools will remain in Primary Schools

 Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba. [FILE]

 

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has told the Senate that the decision to domicile Junior School in Primary Schools followed consultation done with various stakeholders by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform.

Ogamba told Senators that the stakeholders engaged include teacher unions such as the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, the Kenya Union of Teachers, the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers and members of the public in general.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna had sought to know from Ogamba why Junior Schools are not autonomous or distinct from the primary schools, despite Junior School Boards of Management operating separate accounts for Junior School Functions.

“93 per cent of the submissions received by the Working Party recommended that Junior School be hosted in existing primary schools, only five per cent of the submissions recommended the hosting of Junior School in existing secondary schools, while two per cent of suggested new schools for Junior School,” said Ogamba.

Ogamba who was before the Senate plenary to answer questions, said that the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms analysed the merits of hosting Junior School in existing primary schools, as opposed to secondary schools or having them as autonomous institutions.

He said the Government opted to maximise the use of available classrooms and facilities in primary schools instead of building entirely new secondary school complexes across the country.

Ogamba told Senators that Junior School learners would experience psycho-social challenges in settling down and integrating with secondary school learners who are relatively much older.

He said cost considerations were also a justification, since Standard 7 and 8 classrooms would be unoccupied, therefore it was considered more cost-effective than constructing new classrooms.

He said that domiciling junior schools in primary schools was also designed to facilitate a smooth and universal transition for all Grade 6 learners to junior secondary education.

This is because domiciling junior schools in existing primary schools meant learners did not have to travel long distances.

He said this therefore addressed distance as a critical factor that could affect student well-being and attendance, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized children.

 “To inform the implementation of Junior School in existing primary schools, the ministry developed the Guidelines for the Implementation of Junior Secondary Education in January, 2023. The Guidelines set out the framework for  the overall management of Junior Schools in terms of administration, governance, infrastructure development and curriculum implementation,” said Ogamba.