Students confessions exposed stalled learning in several junior secondary schools, pointing at a looming crisis in the country's education system.
Some grade seven students claimed they had never attended classes since enrolling in various junior secondary schools.
Besides stalled learning, students also exposed lack of adequate and sufficiently trained teachers in several institutions nationwide.
Speaking to to the media on condition of anonymity on Monday February 27, a parent narrated that some institutions even lack learning materials, including textbooks.
"He has never learnt since being admitted to a junior secondary school. He told me they go to school to tell stories," one parent narrated.
"I also meet others walking around without wearing their uniforms. So I see my child getting lost," the parent told Citizen TV.
Another parent lamented that he was wasting funds to prepare her son to go to school daily, which she insisted was not worth it since learning had reportedly stalled.
She called on the Ministry of Education, led by Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, to intervene to avert the looming crisis, which could affect transition and quality of learning.
"I prepare my child to go to school very early in the morning, but when I ask him what they learnt, he tells me that they have never studied. They only play and eat," she stated.
Additionally, headteachers castigated the Ministry of Education for delayed funds disbursement and teachers' deployment, which they claimed had crippled learning in some junior secondary schools.
CS Machogu stated that the government had set aside Ksh9.6 billion on capitation grants for the Junior secondary schools for the first two terms to facilitate smooth transition.
Machogu also revealed that each of the students in the junior secondary school will receive a capitation of Ksh15,000 per year.
"The 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," Machogu stated after releasing the results of the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
Regarding running of the schools, the CS added that the management board would form a special subcommittee to oversee education programs and financial resources.
However, by the time of this publication, the Ministry of Education had not responded to the looming crisis as exposed by grade seven students.
