The fate of the Grade 6 learners currently doing their national examinations will be settled in the next few weeks when the President is expected to make a major pronouncement on the domicile of junior secondary school, the Education Cabinet secretary announced yesterday.
CS Ezekiel Machogu hinted that this would depend on the report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, which was appointed last month to seek the views of Kenyans and advise the President on sectoral reforms.
“They are coming up with a report soon, probably in the first or second week of December. They will present their initial report to President William Ruto, who will also make an announcement to Kenyans on where our Grade 7 will be domiciled when we reopen schools on January 23, 2023,” said Mr Machogu in Mombasa county, where he had gone to monitor the administration of the examinations that began yesterday.
Parents, teachers’ unions, and religious leaders have expressed concern over the domiciling and hosting of junior secondary school (JSS) classes. Under the Jubilee administration, it was clear that JSS would be domiciled in secondary school, but it remains to be seen whether President Ruto will reverse the decision.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers and the Kenya National Union of Teachers have differed over the issue although they agree that the country needs to rethink boarding schools and embrace day schooling.
