Private elementary schools that have elected to move on to junior high school have until August to prepare in order to welcome junior secondary school pupils by January 2023, according to Principal Secretary Julius Jwan of the Department of Early Learning and Basic Education.
The PS said the main idea was to encourage as many private schools as possible that were offering primary education to go ahead and start junior secondary to enable learners to transition smoothly. He was speaking in Eldoret during a two-day tour to check on the readiness of private primary schools in terms of junior secondary admission preparedness.
“The schools we are keen on are schools that have decided to move into junior secondary. We are checking if they will be ready latest by August to admit junior secondary learners by January next year,” said the PS.
He went on to say that the Education Ministry was attempting to ensure a smooth transition of learners from primary to junior secondary school, and that because many parents would prefer their children to stay in the same school, particularly in day schools, the ministry is pressuring the private sector and those who own private primary schools to build Junior Secondary wings.
The PS further stated that in order to provide Junior Secondary Education, private primary schools must have appropriate space for classroom extension and development, as well as a laboratory for fundamental experiments and a playing field for students.
He also urged schools to begin as many topics as possible, such as music, art, and craft, to help students improve their learning abilities.
Greenville Academy, Potters House Academy, and Eldo Baraka Academy were among the schools PS visited.
Greenville Academy, according to Jwan, is almost ready because it already has four ready classrooms and one more that will be transformed into a lab. The building of 25 classrooms at Potters House Academy is slated to be completed in two months, according to the PS, and the school also features two labs for junior secondary students.
Boniface Odongo, the principal of Potters House Academy, said the school already has two streams that can handle 40 kids, and because the facility is sufficient, they can expand to 200 students.