Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Friday issued a warning notice to head teachers regarding the welfare of students in Junior Secondary Schools and Form Ones.
In an advisory dated January 12, Machogu disclosed he had received several reports that some JSS heads were charging levies on account of expanding infrastructure to accommodate learners joining Grades 7 & 8 this year.
"Other schools are demanding new school uniforms for the Grade 7 learners," the Ministry noted.
While addressing the complaints raised, the CS warned school heads to desist from asking parents for money to construct new classrooms for the current Grade 8 candidates as his Ministry had released enough capitation funds for the same.
According to Machogu, the Ministry of Education had already credited Ksh7.6 billion to school accounts to facilitate the classroom-building project.
"The government plans to spend Ksh12.8 billion to facilitate the construction of 15,015 classrooms for JSS over the next one year," Machogu disclosed.
"Field officers from the Ministry of Education should be vigilant in the regions to ensure all joining instructions to Junior Secondary schools and Form One are strictly complied with," he added.
According to the CS, all the 1.2 million candidates who sat the 2023 Kenya Primary Schools Education Assessment (KPSEA) should be allowed to join Grade 7 in the Junior Secondary Schools hosted by their respective primary schools where they attended Grades 1 to 6.
Machogu further directed school heads to ensure learners in grade 7 utilise the classrooms that were used by the current Grade 8 learners in 2023.
"Grade 7 learners be allowed to attend school in uniforms that they used while in Grade 6 in 2023 as parents and guardians make efforts to buy new outfits for the JSS," Machogu denoted.
Meanwhile, the CS also directed Grade 8 learners to use the classrooms left vacant by the last cohort of the Standard 8 candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examination (KCPE) last year.
Learners in Junior Secondary Schools are set to resume school on January 15, the same date when Form Ones will report to their institutions.
