Machogu provides new road map for JSS
When the first competency-based curriculum (CBC) class moves to Grade 7 at the end of this month, primary schools that will house junior secondary will benefit from a Sh9.6 billion budget injection.
As a warning to head teachers against charging tuition unless the schools offer residential facilities, Mr. Machogu declared that students in public junior secondary schools (JSS) will get a capitation of Sh15,000 apiece. For primary schools, many of which lack the necessary infrastructure to operate efficiently, the new capitation is a big win.
According to the CS, schools would be required to spend Sh4,000 on infrastructural improvements, and rules for other vote headings will be made public the following week.
According to Mr. Machogu, “It will allow schools to build laboratories, and we’re also working with MPs to aid us through the Constituency Development Fund.”
The CS stated that primary schools will be obliged to engage financial clerks to assist them in managing the funds because the capitation is a significant increase from the current capitation of Sh1,420.
With over 23,000 public primary schools, there are an equal number of new job openings.We’ll ensure that the expenditure of funds is closely supervised by the curriculum support officers and sub-county directors of education.
Through workshops and seminars led by the Kenya Education Management Institute and the Kenya Primary School Heads Association, we’ll also increase the capacity of school administrators, according to Mr. Machogu.
The rules that will be made public the following week are also anticipated to provide guidance to schools regarding the requirements for management board members. At the moment, a secondary education is required for membership.
The CS also requested that public secondary school heads abide by the fee standards, which set the maximum tuition for national schools at Sh53,554 and for county and extra-county schools at Sh40,555.
The government would keep the capitation per student at Sh22,244 in all public secondary institutions. Because the government is covering all of the tuition costs, parents of students enrolled in public day secondary schools shouldn’t be charged any fees, according to Mr. Machogu.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) portal will be used by schools from today to receive KPSEA findings, the CS announced.
Given that these data were just made accessible to schools, he said, “I direct Knec to work with KICD and Teachers Service Commission to assist the schools in appropriately interpreting the information for students and parents.”
The CS acknowledged that the students will wear separate uniforms to set them apart from those in lower grades, but the cost of purchasing them will fall on the parents.
As a result, it was decided that the new uniforms for JSS students would require parental and management board approval, he said.
In order for the ministry to deliver capitation money to schools, Mr. Machogu ordered that the National Educational Information Management System be used to admit the students.
Machogu provides new road map for JSS
