The implementation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) gathered steam after the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, January 23, released guidelines on how the learning institutions should be named.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the ministry directed that the schools will have to change their names to include JSS in their initials.
Through illustration, the ministry proposed that, for instance, if a primary school had the name 'Mwandapole Primary school', its new naming would be Mwendapole School (Primary and JSS).
The ministry further directed that for the purpose of the Bank accounts to handle fee payments among other financial transactions, Primary Schools and Junior Secondary Schools shall have separate accounts for operation.
Equally, JSS leadership was given the green light to determine uniforms for their respective schools in consultation with their respective stakeholders and the Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE).
That would include additional unique features on the uniforms for the identification and branding of their institutions.
Further, the JSS uniforms should be sensitive to the cultural and religious values of respective communities.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education directed that uniforms shall be the responsibility of parents and no school will direct parents where to purchase them.
In the statement, JSS, however, were cautioned not to exclude learners from transitioning to the next level for failure to afford school uniforms.
Among the interventions by the national government is a financial capitation grant of Ksh9.6 billion that will be accorded to the students in Junior Secondary Schools.
A raft of measures approved by the government for the rollout of Junior Secondary School education will be set in place before reporting date of Monday, January 30, 2023.
“The Government will spend Ksh9.6 Billion on capitation grants to learners of Junior Secondary Schools for Term One and Term Two of 2023, with each of them receiving an individual capitation of Ksh15,000 per year," noted the CS
The government also asked school headteachers and the Boards of Management (BoM) to ensure that finances are prudently used for the benefit of Junior Secondary School students.
“In the next financial year, the government will spend Ksh18 Billion for the Junior Secondary School learners’ capitation grants.
"Further to this, out of Ksh15,000 that will be released for each learner, Ksh4,000 will be spent on the development of infrastructure with the greatest priority being on laboratories," the Ministry added.
However, the Ministry of Education urged parents to take up their responsibilities and ensure that children are well-taken care of while in or out of school.
"Parents have a shared responsibility with learning institutions to provide a conducive environment that motivates all learners to achieve their full potential," read the Ministry of Education report.
