The National Assembly Committee on Education convened an urgent meeting on Thursday, February 9 to iron out sticky issues surrounding the Junior Secondary School transition.
Concerns were raised over the efficiency of the Education Ministry in rolling out the programme citing that the Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu was not in touch with the realities on the ground.
The issue of children not being allowed to transition to Grade Seven with their old school uniforms and the shortage of teachers are some of the issues the committee seeks to resolve.
Lawmakers were also concerned over the amount of money schools were charging to admit students in junior high schools.
"Right now if you do not have a minimum of Ksh 20000, you will not be able to take your child to a Junior Secondary School," Gilgil MP Martha Wangari lamented.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Lugari legislator and Education Committee member Nabii Nabwera called upon the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to fast-track the induction of newly recruited 30000 teachers.
“TSC must fast-track the deployment of graduate teachers to JSS with immediate effect. They must also provide a plan on how they are going to reduce the gap between counties with a shortage of teachers in areas like Bungoma and Kakamega,” he stated.
The Lugari lawmaker opined that parents must not be burdened with the issue of purchasing school uniforms for their children.
“The Ministry pronounced itself on the issue of school uniforms. Schools can only provide uniforms in consultation with parents. They cannot determine the uniforms students will wear,” he added.
Among other challenges that bedevil the JSS include congestion in classrooms, slow distribution of textbooks, and failure to find hosting schools for institutions that had not been cleared to host JSS.
Transition to JSS has also seen experts weigh in suggesting that the government should reconsider refining the system.
"Parents are confused the students are also confused. I am also confused and if I as an education expert am confused how about a parent in the remote parts of Kenya," the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Constantine Wesonga lamented.
Public schools are also grappling with congestion and poor infrastructure, despite the government allocating billions of shillings to the project.
It remains to be seen on how the ministry of education will address the issues months after outlining the regulations affecting the JSS transition.
