Day-Schools Likely To Increase As Magoha Rejects Immediate Abolishment Of 4000 Boarding Schools
Education CS George Magoha has rejected a proposal for the immediate closing of 4,000 boarding schools. He maintained that every situation concerning boarding schools would be viewed on its merit.
“There is no plan to abolish them, but there is thinking in that direction. There has to be a gradual process. Maybe new start-ups (schools) will be day schools,” said Magoha.
Magoha said it will be impossible to abolish the schools at a go, but promised to adopt a policy that will see new learners enrolled in day schools.
The abolishment of boarding schools will ultimately see an increase in the number of day schools in the country. Some Education stakeholders consider the abolition of boarding institutions as a measure of ending school unrest.
“It has never been a policy to abolish boarding schools. It is not an issue to bother at the moment.” Said the CS on Monday during a workshop for education officials in Mombasa.
The Competency-based Curriculum (CBC) task force by the Magoha proposed the scrapping off in primary and proposed junior secondary schools (JSS) under the new 2-6-3-3-3 education system.
The stakeholders behind the move claim that the proposal will reduce unnecessary expenses and make learning more affordable for parents and guardians.
The team also proposed the scrapping of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination after the 6th year. Alternatively, the task force suggests that the exams be done after the first of the end of junior secondary.
The assessment will then assist in placing learners in various senior secondary schools. From that point, another examination will be taken at the end of the senior secondary which will help place the students in tertiary institutions.
Under the CBC, pupils are expected to spend 2 years in pre-primary, 6 years in primary, 3 years in junior secondary and another three in senior secondary school.
The new education system that was rolled out by the Ministry of Education mandates a 17-year-stay in school as opposed to the 8-4-4 system which totalled 16 years.
The major discrepancy between the 8-4-4 system and the new CBC system is that the years’ learners spend in school are being restructured to 2-6-3-3-3.
All learners take 2 years of Pre-primary, then 6 years of Primary, and then 3 years of Junior School. If you pass the Grade 9 exams at 15 at the end of Junior School, you can then proceed to 3 years of Senior School. University under CBC will be just three years instead of four.
Education Chief Administrative Secretary, CAS, Dr Sara Ruto, said the implementation will see parents have quality time with their children and support their growth, which has not been the case.
Ruto said that students have been spending much of their time in school especially those who attend boarding schools from class one to secondary school.
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