Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu has challenged the government to keep junior secondary learners in Grades 7, 8 and 9 in Primary School.
Oyuu, while addressing the 17th annual Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (Kepsha) delegates on Wednesday, December 29, argued that teachers in Primary schools were qualified to tutor junior secondary learners.
He further argued that it was pointless for the state to splash billions, which now stands at Ksh8 billion, on the project while classrooms remain empty in primary schools.
“Who do you want to occupy the vacant classrooms in primary schools? Do you want those classrooms to be our houses?
“The classrooms should be utilised by bringing grades 7 and 8, and an additional classroom…Grade 9. Our primary school teachers can handle them since 80 percent of teachers are graduates and some have master’s degrees," he argued.
On December 27, Magoha assured Education Stakeholders that the construction of the classrooms were set for completion before the end of 2022.
The first grade under the new Competency Based Curriculum is gearing to join junior secondary in January 2023 after sitting national exams at the end of 2022.
In his address, Magoha noted that the first phase of 5,200 classrooms are expected to be completed in April 2022.
“We have already mapped out all schools. Therefore we know where the gap is. There are schools with excess classrooms that will serve as junior secondary schools.
"There are some with adequate and the required additional classrooms,” he stated.
Magoha also insisted that CBC would continue as planned although it has run into headwinds with a case challenging its legality on Chief Justice Martha Koome's desk.
The case filed by a parent, Esther Ang'awa argued that the introduction of CBC to replace the 8-4-4 system was unconstitutional and unlawful. She listed Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha as a respondent in the case.
