Parents Pressure Govt to Postpone School Reopening Date
Parents have asked the government to delay school reopening to ensure appropriate infrastructure for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) weeks before the new academic year begins.
The move will facilitate students moving to Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), according to National Parents Association (NPA) chairperson Silas Obuhatsa.
He stated that classrooms and labs might be built in one or two months. Monday, January 23, is the reopening date.
“The government has the right to postpone schools reopening for one or two months to have these structures in place before learning can resume,“ he noted.
Obuhatsa noted that the move will be funded by the Ksh44 billion National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), which the National Treasury is releasing in installments.
He criticized the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) for seeking enjoinder in a petition contesting the NG-legitimacy. CDF’s
"We cannot afford to lose the gains at a time when the nation is going through economic hardships. Parents deserve all government support because they are the ones who put this administration in place.
"They woke up very early to vote while some LSK members were enjoying their sleep in warm blankets,” he noted.
In December 2022, President William Ruto’s CBC task panel advocated housing Junior Secondary Schools in primary schools.
Ruto said arrangements were underway to ensure a smooth transition in his first joint interview at State House.
"86 percent of 20,000 people who presented views to the CBC task force suggested that JSS be near the parents as the children are still young and would reduce cost.
"We will hire 30,000 teachers to ensure a smooth transition and plan to hire 30,000 more next year,” the president stated.
Prior to the 2023 academic year, parents who send their children to private schools in Kenya could be required to dig further into their pockets.
This follows a move by the educational institutions to hike tuition and other costs beginning January 23.
The majority of private schools issued letters to parents towards the conclusion of the academic year 2022 informing them of a 47% tuition rise for the following year.
The schools ascribed the increase to the rising cost of living, which decreased to 9.1% in December 2022.
The parents who received the letters dispute the fee rise, citing the rising expense of living as justification.
Parents Pressure Govt to Postpone School Reopening Date
