It has been agreed that junior secondary students would continue in primary schools after six years of studying under a new education curriculum, three years of school-based evaluations, and another three days of demanding Grade Six national tests.
After yesterday’s presentation of the first report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms to President William Ruto, the Kenya Kwanza administration came to this bold conclusion.
The recently concluded Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exam should not be utilized to determine a student’s placement in junior secondary schools, according to the report. Instead, it will serve as an evaluation to track student progress in learning and inform stakeholders in the education sector of areas that need improvement.
Grades 7, 8, and 9 of junior secondary schools will be housed in the current primary schools, according to a State House statement.
Regarding the location of the junior secondary students’ residences, the Kenya Union of Post Education Teachers (Kuppet) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) had been pushing in opposing directions.
The opinions of academics and educators on the subject also varied widely. While some claimed that transition does not necessarily entail moving from one physical space to another, others insisted that the change was essential for the psychological well-being of the learners.
Collins Oyuu, secretary general of Knut, applauded the choice nonetheless, claiming that the task team had accurately represented the views of educators nationwide.
“We have a dry home. Since the majority of our suggestions were fully implemented, we fared well in this game. The issues we raised have been addressed, according to Mr. Oyuu.
The three years of Grades 7-9, according to the Knut boss, should be renamed senior primary school or intermediate level. To set them apart from the lower level in the same setup, we even suggest that they have a different level of administration and a different set of uniforms for learners.
