Secondary school heads were warned to expect a heavy intake as the government moved into the second phase of 100 per cent transition. The pressure comes as the latest Auditor-General Edward Ouko report says many schools are already congested.
A total of 1,052,364 candidates whose Kenya Certificate of Primary Education results were released on Monday are expected to join secondary school, adding to the estimated 800,000 learners who moved last year under the same programme. The schools taking them in are supposed to have enough classrooms, desks, chairs, laboratories and teachers to maintain quality education.
The Teachers Service Commission had asked the government to fund the recruitment of 12,000 teachers each year to cope with the growing numbers, but it was allocated money for only 7,000 teachers this year. That gap is likely to deepen the strain on schools already struggling with space and staffing.
In a report tabled before Parliament recently, Mr Ouko said the 85 newly upgraded secondary schools lacked enough dormitories, libraries and teachers, among other basic facilities. The report said some institutions had resorted to triple-decker beds in dormitories, even though quality assurance standards allow only single or double-decker beds.
Other schools had no library services at all, while some converted classrooms into libraries to make do with the shortage. The findings underline the pressure facing schools as more pupils move into the secondary system.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang sought to calm fears on Monday, saying schools would receive capitation on time. “We will ensure that schools have resources that they need for their activities before schools reopen,” said Dr Kipsang.
But the issue of delayed funding remains familiar to many headteachers, who have in previous years had to protest before the government released the money. Next week, principals are expected to receive the number of candidates they will admit when the selection exercise begins.
Most of the new students are expected to target elite national schools, which continue to attract large numbers of applications. Very few students are willing to join the upgraded national schools, even as all candidates who scored 400 marks and above are set to join national schools.
