Education PS Belio Kipsang says primary boarding schools to be abolished. | Shule za msingi za bweni Kenya Kufungiwa. |

Education PS Belio Kipsang says primary boarding schools to be abolished

Basic Education Principal Secretary Dr. Belio Kipsang says plans to abolish the boarding system from Grade 1 to Grade 9 are at advanced stage and will kick in early next year.

The proposal if implemented will force at least 28 per cent of learners in boarding primary schools to transition to day schools.

Dr. Kipsang who spoke during the official opening of the Kenya Primary School Heads Association Conference in Mombasa further indicated that the government plans to do away with the categorization of secondary schools as part of the reforms that will help streamline the Competency Based Curriculum.

“We must create a way in which we can be with our children and the only way is through day schooling,” Dr. Kipsang said when he opened the 18th annual KEPSHA conference.In its interim report presented to President William Ruto a few days ago, the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform proposed that Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) be domiciled in the existing primary schools.

Equally, the Grade 6 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will not be used for placement in JSS. To the contrary, it will be used as an assessment to monitor learning progress while at the same time providing feedback to education stakeholders on areas that require intervention.

The government has since asked primary head teachers to ascertain the capacity of pupils they can accommodate in their respective schools amid to build an extra classroom and laboratory in every primary school with the construction of laboratories given priority in the next one year.

The government has further undertaken to increase infrastructure, double the beneficiaries of school feeding programs as well increase the allocation of the Free Primary Education National Fund as it looks for funds to cater for non-tuition costs for learners.