Grade Six Pupils Get 11 More Days for Schools Selection

Grade Six Pupils Get 11 More Days for Schools Selection

Grade Six learners have 11 more days to complete junior secondary school selection after the government extended the deadline from August 30 to September 10.



Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha yesterday said the process has faced some challenges due to the disruption of the second term academic calendar, causing some delays. He said the ministry has put in place strict measures to ensure learners select their preferred schools.

“We have done extremely well in terms of registering our children for Grade Seven.

We are also human as we have interfered with some dates. We started late and we have had hiccups. Therefore, as a government, we have decided to extend the school selection process for another 10 days,” said Prof Magoha.



He spoke at Upper Hill School in Kibra, Nairobi, where he commissioned a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classroom. Earlier in the morning, the CS also commissioned a classroom at Kimunyu Boys’ High School in Gatundu South, Kiambu County.

The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) opened the selection portal on August 16. However, learners began the exercise late after school reopening was pushed to August 18 to allow the August 9 General Election to be completed.

Prof Magoha asked parents whose children have not selected schools to do so. “By September 10, if your child has not selected schools, it becomes your problem.”



Learners are required to select two national schools, two regional schools, two county schools, four sub-county schools and two private schools of their choice.

According to the ministry, most learners will be placed in day schools near their homes, with some of them placed in primary schools sharing a compound with secondary schools.



The ministry has also approved private schools with relevant infrastructure and laboratories for junior secondary placement.

Prof Magoha said parents who will choose to have their children placed in private schools will not benefit from the government free secondary school programme. So far, private schools are offering 369,948 slots for junior secondary.

Most of those offering the slots are private primary schools that have expanded their infrastructure to retain their current students. Most of the schools are in Nairobi (60,359 slots), followed by Kiambu (22,665 slots).

The cost of educating students in junior and senior secondary schools under the CBC is likely to increase.

Although the ministry has yet to release fee guidelines on how much the government and parents will pay for children in public schools, the curriculum is demanding and parents may have to incur more expenses.

Currently, the government pays Sh22,244 as capitation for students under the free day secondary education programme.



So far, the government has completed over 9,000 of the over 11,600 classrooms it had planned to build before the next administration takes over.

“We are at 90 per cent completion level. Most of the classrooms are at roofing level and we, the government, will complete so that the next government will find a clean house.”

Meanwhile, all day primary and secondary schools in Kakamega and Mombasa will close tomorrow to pave the way for gubernatorial elections.



“I want to plead with our teachers, especially in boarding schools within those counties, to be extra vigilant because when there is a civic duty going on within the schools, our children should be looked after,” Prof Magoha said.

“Mine is to ensure the children are in school and will not be caught up in issues that may arise in those places.”

Prof Magoha further insisted that preparations for Grade Six, Standard Eight and Form Four national exams have been completed and the government is ready to administer them in November.

“Our children shall have their exams at the right time, I have interacted with a sizeable number of them and in my considered opinion, they are ready and many of them could pass that exam even today,” he said.

Nation - Sunday 28th August 2022

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/education/-grade-six-pupils-get-11-more-days-for-schools-selection-3928640