As the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Education Julius Ogamba stresses the government’s commitment to ensure enough classrooms for Junior Secondary learners, parents from Nyamache sub-county have expressed fear over its fulfillment.
Speaking to Education News at Suguta Secondary School on Thursday, they decried insufficient classrooms for grade 7 and 8 students.
Led by the School Board of Management (BoM) Chairman Samson Ogega, they said that the learners are using old and congested classrooms that pose health risks to the learners.
Ogega said the old classrooms were built with the capacity of accommodating 45 pupils but were now hosting 84 pupils in both grades.
“The classrooms are even dark and full of pupils who cannot see the blackboard and teachers are forced to use candle sticks to lighten the classrooms during the day,” he said.
The parents claimed that money was lost constructing JSS classrooms in neighbouring secondary schools before the government decided where the classrooms would be domiciled.
“A lot of resources were used to construct these classrooms that are now lying idle in secondary schools,” said Mary Nyabonyi.
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The parents asked the government to reconsider hosting Grade 9 learners in secondary schools because they have enough learning facilities.
Education News discovered that at one of the secondary schools in Kenyenya sub-county, one of the JSS classrooms had been converted into a library.
“We decided to convert the classroom into a library after the government’s reversal and shelving the idea of hosting JSS pupils in secondary schools,” the Principal said.
Most parents suggested that it is not suitable for senior JSS students to remain in the primary section because it demotivates them.
By Enock Okong’o
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