This year, more than 430,000 learners will be enrolled in secondary school than students who dropped out at the end of March
By Ivy Maloy
Educators have warned that the country is courting disasters due to worsening secondary school congestion each year after the government fails to expand its infrastructure. With more than 2,000 learners currently in some boarding schools, concerns about security, health, safety, management, and discipline have been raised.
Over the last four years, the number of learners graduating from primary school has increased each year, and the number of enrollments in secondary school has increased exponentially. However, its growth is not in line with facility expansion.
According to data released last week by the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec), registrations for the Kenya Primary Education Certificate (KCPE) exam exceeded the 2020 figure by 27,276. It is expected to rise further by the end of this week’s exercises.
This year, more than 430,000 learners will be enrolled in secondary school than students who dropped out at the end of March. All KCPE candidates will be transferred to secondary school under the government’s 100% transition policy. Parents have expressed concern about the safety of their children in crowded boarding schools.
“I’m worried that if Covid-19 occurs, it will spread rapidly in crowded schools, and where will children escape in the event of an unfortunate accident such as a night fire?” Children should learn. “
The Ministry of Education has established detailed guidelines for the construction and capacity of classrooms and dormitories. These have been overlooked as the province is driving a 100 percent transition. The Ministry of Education spends 22,244 shillings annually on all learners in public secondary schools.
Of these, Sh5,000 is reserved for infrastructure development. Kahi Indimuri, president of the Kenyan Secondary School Directors’ Association, said that the safety and security of learners is a major concern. He called for a review of the school’s funding model, stating that the current model is based on the outdated 2014 Kiremi Mwiria report.
“At the time, the average class was 40 learners, but now it’s 60. They worked in schools with about 4 streams, but now there are more than 10 schools,” he said. explained. The increase in enrollment has also increased the burden on teachers, and many schools are understaffed, even though the Teacher Services Commission (TSC) employs 5,000 teachers each year.
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