This archive report was first published on 12 January 2020.
On Monday, Form Ones will start reporting to school, marking the beginning of a new academic year. However, the Ministry of Education is facing a pressing challenge: overcrowding in dormitories and classrooms.
Despite the government's efforts to implement the 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school, secondary schools are struggling with inadequate infrastructure. This has led to overcrowding in dormitories and classrooms, posing a significant challenge to the education system.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has acknowledged the issue and has taken steps to address it. The ministry has reviewed the allocation per student for maintenance and infrastructure from Sh5,000 to Sh 7,000 this year.
Magoha emphasized that the government is committed to improving infrastructure in schools to accommodate all students. He announced that the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP) will help build classrooms, laboratories, and other infrastructure in 30 counties at a cost of Sh8.2 billion.
The project targets 110 sub-counties and aims to improve the provision of education and the learning environment. It also addresses the dimensions of quality education, including providing basic support to ensure individual learners' safety, providing teachers, and improving their professional efficacy.
Magoha stated that the project will contribute to national development by enhancing educational access, retention, transition, and completion by learners from poor and marginalized areas and households.
As the new academic year begins, 1,075,201 students have been placed in secondary schools. The last reporting day is Friday, and the government is keen to ensure that all students, including teenage mothers, are enrolled in Form One.
Magoha has directed school headteachers to develop an inventory of schools and work with relevant agencies to ensure that all students are enrolled. He has also asked local leaders to help identify young mothers and ensure that they do not stay away from school.
