Gov’t affirms its all systems go for roll out of Grade 9

 

11,000 classrooms for Junior Secondary Schools will be completed much earlier than expected, a field survey by Ministry of Education officials has revealed.

A mid-term review carried out in 13 counties which include West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Turkana, and Kajiado among others, indicates that most schools that were identified in phase one of the project have made remarkable progress based on the plan and completion date.

Basic Education Principal Secretary, Dr Belio Kipsang said a total of 16,000 classrooms will be constructed across the Country, where 11000 will be put up by the Ministry of Education while 5,000 classrooms will be constructed through the National Constituency Development Fund(NG-CDF).

Most schools visited in West Pokot have done more than half of the classroom construction work, despite the challenging terrain and distances from where building materials are sourced.

“We are getting these stones from Thika in Nairobi,’’ Chesta Primary School head teacher Joyce Lomuket told the Inspection team from the Ministry.

Members of the review team from the Ministry of Education and development partners commended the pace of the construction work and were confident that most of the schools would meet the expectations but however discouraged laxity, and poor workmanship.

“We are reviewing the work done but were urge you to share your views and challenges because we need the best in this project,” Mr Walter Agwaro, a director in the Ministry of Education urged the school heads whose schools have ongoing projects.

The team noted that progress in construction work in Trans Nzoia County was impressive where one of the schools, Namanjalala Primary and Junior School, the construction work was already complete and the contractor was dealing only with the final touches of three classrooms meant for the Grade 9.

By KNA