KNUT, KEPSHA Applauded Initiative To Abolish Primary Boarding Schools; Cautions Government.
The decision by the Ministry of Education to eliminate primary boarding schools was supported by a teachers’ union, school heads, and the chair of a parliamentary committee.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang issued the directive on Tuesday at the Kenya Primary Schools Head Association (Kepsha) annual conference at Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Primary school in Mombasa that students in grades 1 through 9 must attend day schools beginning the following academic year.
Collins Oyuu, the general secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers, applauded the initiative but cautioned that boarding institutions should be abolished in stages.
“The idea being propelled in the education sector is to make education affordable. Boarding schools are expensive … ,” said Mr Oyuu.
He encouraged the authorities to accommodate existing schools so that resources are not wasted and parents are not inconvenienced.
In an interview with the Nation, Dr. Kipsang stated that the decision will make education cheaper, noting that national and extra-county institutions charge Sh53,000 and Sh45,000 annually, respectively.
However, he stated that less than 5% of all schools are public primary boarding schools. He stated that in dry and semi-arid regions, the government will support residential schools.
“When their parents go out to look for pasture, we want to make sure the children are in school. We are encouraging all our junior secondary schools to be an environment that allows children to be close and bond with their parents. For the existing boarding facilities, the communities and the state will agree on the way forward,” he said.
Mr. Julius Melly, head of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, stated, Many parents have delegated their parental obligations to instructors; in fact, they want all of their children to attend boarding schools.
“Many of us don’t know our children. Let all the schools be day schools.” He said parents will now be able to guide and counsel their children.
Johnson Nzioka, national head of Kepsha, stated, “Why should a 10-year-old attend boarding school?” We must build this relationship between parent and child.”
Other parents, like as Dr. Agnes Gachiku, support the proposal, arguing that it is long past time to protect young learners and provide them with optimal opportunities to grow and study.
Mercy Nthuku, a parent from Meru, stated that for children to be ready to face obstacles as adults, they require greater parental supervision and comfort.
She urged for a staggered implementation of the program to protect the thousands of students currently enrolled in colleges.
KNUT, KEPSHA Applauded Initiative To Abolish Primary Boarding Schools; Cautions Government.
