The Ministry of Education (MoE) issued guidelines to learners transitioning starting Monday, January 30.
However, it emerged that the Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu was not clear on matters such as uniform and schools fees.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, January 29, parents questioned the government on how school fees was to be paid as they were yet to receive communication on the same.
In his address, CS Machogu stated that students in public students would pay no school fees. Nonetheless, a number of parents did not understand how children would be accepted in school without a penny.
“The government stated that they will pay school fees but they have not made it clear how this will happen, I am confused since am supposed to admit my child on Monday,” one of the parents stated.
According to Machogu, President William Ruto directed Treasury to set aside the capitation per student at Ksh15,000 per learner, to facilitate free learning in all Junior Secondary Schools.
He also announced that the government would spend Ksh9.6 billion to sustain the program in the 2022/2023 financial year.
“No school should charge any fees for Grade 7 learners unless such schools are boarding wings,” Machogu indicated while speaking during the release of Form One placement on Monday, January 16.
On the other side, parents were not satisfied with the fact that they had not received clearer information about the type of uniform they were supposed to buy.
“My kid is supposed to join the junior secondary but we are yet to receive instructions on what kind of uniform they are supposed to wear. Should I take him with the old uniform he wore in grade six?” another parent questioned.
While the concern was directed to the government, Machogu had made it clear that it was upon the Board of Management (BoMs) to decide on the type of uniform to be used but insisted that it would be different from the lower primary learners.
He however clarified that parents would have to bear the responsibility of buying the uniform for students.
"The uniform will not be the same and each board of management will be able to make decisions on the colour and type of uniform students will be put on," the CS revealed.
Commenting on junior secondary placement, parents were dissatisfied after some of the best schools were left out of selection.
They argued that the government had chosen some poor-performing schools which would affect the performance of their children.
“We were surprised to learn that our school was not selected to host junior secondary. The school has been performing well but it has been denied that chance.
They now want us to take our children to other schools which do not perform well,” parents expressed their worry.
According to the government, Junior secondary schools would be domiciled in primary schools. Further, primary schools chosen are those that are located on the same compound as secondary schools so as to share the laboratories and other facilities with junior secondary schools.
“We have said as a government, when a high school and a primary school are within the same compound, we shall also use the physical resources that are there,” he clarified.
