MPs put CS Amina on task over government’s move that might dilute the quality of education

Education CS Amina Mohamed during the interview. January 15, 2018. Photo/Jack Owuor

Education CS Amina Mohamed on Thursday said 70 per cent of the 1,032,334 pupils had been admitted to various categories of secondary schools as at January 11.

She, however, was confident that the number will reduce after the one-week reporting extension given by the government.

January 11 was the initial deadline for all Form One students to report, but it was pushed to today. Amina said the ministry will give full details of all admissions in two weeks.

The CS also said the ministry had by Monday this week received 60,000 requests for change of placement.

She was addressing the National Assembly’s committee on education on status update of the ongoing Form One admission and the rollout of the new competency-based school curriculum.

The government has banned principals from issuing admission letters to parents. Students whose details will not be captured in Nemis will be deemed not to have joined secondary schools.

The government is keen on attaining a 100 per cent transition to secondary schools.

Stakeholders have, however, questioned the readiness of government to accommodate the high number of students in secondary schools.

Yesterday, the lawmakers put Amina to task to clear fears that the congestion might dilute the quality of education.

“We notice that schools which had been admitting 300 students received up to 400 students under the new system. As much as we are talking about 100 per cent transition, what about the quality?” Chesumei MP Wilson Kago asked.

Amina told the legislators the ministry has received Sh1.5 billion from the Treasury for disbursement to all secondary schools for infrastructure development.

The ministry will allocate Sh6,000 to each student in day secondary schools, while students in boarding schools will each be allocated Sh8,000 for school infrastructural development.

The CS also defended the ministry’s decision to rollout the new curriculum. “It is only a dead woman who does not change her mind. Many were criticising the change of mind without taking into consideration the kind of work that was put in place. That was unfair,” she stated.

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