Why Experts Want The Ministry of Education To Domicile junior secondary schools (JSS) In Primary Schools For The First Two Years
“It would be wise if the ministry of education domicile junior secondary in primary schools,” Experts advise the Ministry of Education.
According to the experts, to avert the looming crisis in admission of Form One and Junior Secondary School learners next year the ministry of education should thinks to domicile junior secondary schools in primary.
Critical analysis indicates that if intake proceed as earlier conceived, facilities and human resources in schools will likely be stretched to the limit.
Due to this, the tge ministry of education has been called upon to structure on how best it can be done to ensure an efficient transition.
Here are the Reasons why experts want junior high school to be domiciled in primary schools:
- Inadequate infrastructure in Secondary schools
To ensure smooth transition to junior high school, the government needs reasonable time to set up proper infrastructure for Junior Secondary Schools in secondary section. Majority of the secondary schools have inadequate infrastructure to host junior high school.
The Ministry of Education should consider having Grade Six learners transit to Junior Secondary Schools in their current primary schools, where space and human resources are readily available.
The exit of the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidate class will translate to a vacant classroom, as the current Standard Seven pupils proceed to Class Eight in 2023.
2. Unutilised classrooms
It is worth noting that in the next three academic years, primary schools will have two exit points; one at Grade Six on sitting Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and the other at Standard Eight after sitting the KCPE exams.
In the event that the two examination cohorts will join secondary and junior secondary schools domiciled in the current secondary schools respectively, there will be two unutilised classrooms in primary schools by January 2025 while on the other hand secondary schools will be battling for double-intake challenges for two consecutive years. This means that for two successive years, as Grade Six and Standard Eight learners transit to the next level, there will be a vacant classroom in primary school.
Therefore, experts advise the Education ministry to domicile junior secondary schools in primary schools for at least two years to give room for adequate time to set up necessary infrastructure.
3. The age factor of the learners joining junior high school
Finally, the government needs to allay fears that children, some aged below 10 years, will be sharing dormitory, sanitation and playground facilities with young adults in faraway high schools.
This challenge can be managed by having separate facilities for junior and senior learners. Hosting junior secondary learners in primary schools also enhances their social and physical development.
