Fast-track construction of CBC classrooms, Magoha orders contractors
Concern has been raised over the slow pace that private schools are putting up new classrooms for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), even as the government intensifies the construction of new blocks and infrastructure.
Yesterday, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said private schools have nothing to show in terms of new classrooms just months before Grade Six pupils transit to junior secondary schools. He spoke in Gatundu South constituency, Kiambu County, after inspecting the construction of CBC classrooms at Ituuru, Kahuguini and Gathage secondary schools.
“Private schools should get more serious and invest in junior secondary schools. I’m not seeing much construction; they only need to construct one extra classroom because they already have two, but even that one I’m not seeing it,” he said. The facilities should be ready before July. Few private secondary schools
“Do it on time so that we can inspect it. Specifically in urban areas like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret, where we have many private primary schools and very few secondary institutions,” he added.
Magoha said close to 5,000 classrooms out of 6,497 to be constructed in phase one, in line with CBC requirements, have been completed.
“The northern region is leading with 100 per cent completion, Nyanza is at 97 per cent and generally we are approaching 90 per cent. We were slowed down by national examinations; which are now over. We want to marshal everybody so that we deliver the 6,497 classrooms before the end of April,” he said. He maintained that the 10,000 classrooms that President Uhuru Kenyatta promised — and set aside Sh8 billion funding — will be ready by July this year.
He added that training of junior secondary school teachers has commenced and will continue until December. Marking of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams, he said, has commenced smoothly. The results will be released before the end of this month.
