The Ministry of Education has issued new guidelines whereby among others, Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) will utilise the infrastructure and resources of the Primary Schools in which they are domiciled.
In the new guidelines the ministry, shall develop and implement a framework for sharing and management of infrastructure and human resources among JSS and other public as well as private institutions.
Public JSSs may enter into context-specific agreements with neighbouring public Primary and Secondary Schools, Tertiary institutions, Counties and other service providers for purposes of sharing learning infrastructure and other resources, under the guidance of the ministry.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu however said the infrastructure and resource sharing arrangements shall be implemented in accordance with existing government regulations and policies, and coordinated by the county director of education.
According to the guidelines, some of the facilities to be shared include “pitches, open spaces and other relevant facilities and equipment for athletics, games, physical fitness and health. Small plots or spaces for innovative agricultural practices and assorted farm tools and equipment. Computer science laboratory with adequate computer sets”.
Others include counselling rooms or space for psycho-social support and other learner support programmes, library with relevant (digital as well as physical) learning resources and home science room with provision for laundry, cooking and sewing areas/space.
The ministry also highlighted how learners will be assessed, including a national summative assessment administered by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) at the end of Grade 9.
The learners will be assessed in all the 12 core subjects and maximum two optional subjects. The assessment will be referred to as the Kenya Junior Secondary Education assessment.
The core subjects are English, Kiswahili or KSL, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Health Education, Pre-technical and Pre-career education, Social Studies, Religious Education (CRE, IRE or HRE), Business Studies, Agriculture, Life skills, Sports and Physical Education.
The optional subjects comprise Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Home Science, Computer Science, Foreign Languages (German, French or Mandarin) Arabic, Kenyan Sign Language and Indigenous Language.
Learners at the Pre-Vocational level will be assessed in 9 subjects; Communication, Social and Literacy Skills; Daily Living Skills; Mathematics Activities; Music and Movement; Religious Education; Christian Religious Education; Hindu Religious Education; Islamic Religious Education; Physical and Health Education; Hygiene, Nutrition and Safety; Environmental Activities, and Social Studies.
At JSS and pre-vocational level, both formative and summative assessment will be conducted. The formative assessment will be offered in form of school-based assessments (SBAs) while the summative assessment will take the form of national assessment.
Also in the guidelines, the ministry says comprehensive schools; those with both primary and junior secondary shall adopt the name of the primary school in which they are domiciled, “except in special circumstances”.
For instance, a school currently called ‘Mwendapole Primary School shall be called ‘Mwendapole School (Primary and JSS)’.
The ministry has also directed that new JSS uniforms shall be the responsibility of parents and schools should not direct parents where to purchase them.
“No learners shall be excluded from reporting to school on Monday next week for failure to afford a school uniform,” states the guidelines.
Machogu had directed that students transitioning to JSS will not be required to pay any school fees as the government has already set aside Sh15,000 for each of the over 1 million Grade 6 pupils who sat their KPSEA exams in November last year.
He said that only schools with boarding wings will be allowed to charge fees.
