Rift Valley will get 1,680 new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms, out of the 11,600 set to be constructed countrywide.
This is as the nation prepares for double transition in the next one year when the premier CBC class, currently in grade five, graduates to junior secondary school.
The government has to expand the existing secondary schools because it will have to do a double intake in 2023 to accommodate the class eight graduates and their colleagues who will be exiting primary education at Grade 6.
Speaking on CBC infrastructure development, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya said the programme had taken off well and had completed the first two sessions, which included sensitisation at the regional, county and sub-county levels.
“Sub-county committees have been formed so that contractors who will build the classes can start tendering their applications with the deadline having been pushed by a month to December 12,” he said.
Natembeya said the committees would vet and identify contractors fit for the task.
He added that the government was giving priority to local contractors with the objective of empowering those at the grassroots.
Natembeya said Rift Valley had been allocated 1,680 classes, which will be constructed at 868 schools with the cost of each classroom being a maximum Sh788,000.
“Not all schools will get the extra classes during the pilot programme but we are optimistic that all learners will transit smoothly. The government will come up with stop gap measures to accommodate them all as the education system changes from 8-4-4 to 2-6-3-3-3,” he said.
Addressing the press at his office, the RC said he was optimistic that the Rift Valley will beat the April 2022 deadline to have completed the construction of the new classrooms.
Nakuru County will be the biggest beneficiary owing to her population with 541 classrooms across 322 schools, followed by Trans Nzoia County, which has been allocated 350 classrooms.
Baringo County, that was largely affected by the floods with some schools being submerged, has been allocated 200 new classrooms in the pilot programme.
Nandi and Kericho counties have been allocated 312 and 308 classrooms respectively as Turkana and Samburu get 66 and 45 classrooms in that order.
The government intends to build 11,600 new classrooms across the country at a cost of Sh9.2 billion.
On the ongoing cases of school unrest, Natembeya said Rift Valley has also been adversely affected and lamented that even some of the highly designated national institutions had joined in the depravity.
“It is unfortunate that the government and parents are busy looking for money to expand the schools and enhance enrolment and the double transition for Junior Secondary yet those in schools are burning classes and dormitories,” he said.
Natembeya said the government was taking the matter seriously adding that all the culpable students will be arrested and prosecuted.
“Some of the students are still ignorant, the do not know the gravity of being charged in a court of law, they think that they will simply appear in court with their faces covered and that is all but their arraignment will impact their records for life,” he observed.
He advised them that once their fingerprints were entered in the criminal database, their records were completely messed up for future and would have a bad impact on their career growth. BY THE STAR