Reprieve For Parents On Purchase Of Uniforms For Junior Secondary Students- CS Machogu

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu has announced that candidates who sat for the 2023 Kenya Primary Schools Education Assessment (KPSEA) will be allowed to join Grade 7 wearing the same uniforms they had in Grade 6.

Machogu's directive on Friday, January 12 was among five directives announced in response to reports that some Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) were forcing learners to purchase new school uniforms before joining Grade 7.

This caused concern among the parents of the 1,282,574 candidates who sat the 2023 KPSEA who felt that they were being burdened with unnecessary requirements that contained financial implications.

"Grade 7 learners be allowed to attend school in uniforms that they used while in Grade 6 in 2023 as parents and guardians make efforts to buy new outfits for the JSS," Machogu said in a statement to newsrooms.

The CS also warned JSS schools against charging parents extra levies outside the government fee structure in response to reports of some schools imposing extra charges under the guise of expanding their infrastructure to accommodate learners joining Grade 8 in 2024.

Machogu also directed all the candidates who sat the 2023 KPSEA to be allowed to join Grade 7 in the Junior Secondary Schools hosted by their respective primary schools where they attended Grades 1-6.

Furthermore, Grade 7 learners were urged to utilise the classrooms that were used by the current Grade 8 learners in 2023.

"Grade 8 learners utilise the classrooms left vacant by the last cohort of the Standard 8 candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examination in 2023," directed the CS.

Schools were also demanded to desist from asking parents to construct new classrooms for the current Grade 8 candidates, with Machogu indicating that the government plans to spend Ksh12.8 billion.

This will facilitate the construction of 15,015 classrooms for JSS over the next one year.

The Ministry also informed all Heads of Institutions that the Ksh7.6 billion released last week for learners in Junior Secondary Schools have been credited to school accounts.

"Schools are therefore not expected to charge any levies from parents," Machogu directed.

Field officers from the Ministry of Education were also asked to be vigilant in the regions to ensure all joining instructions to Junior Secondary schools and Form One are strictly complied with.

Basic education learning institutions had opened for the First Term on Monday, January 8. 

Education CS, Ezekiel Machogu during a past inspection of a guard of honour by students from the Kenya Scouts Association. /EDUMIN.TWITTER