The Ministry of Education has so far approved 13,221 primary schools to host Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) .

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu says a total of 14,589 public and private schools had been assessed as of January 13.

JSS schools are supposed to absorb grade seven learners who will be transiting from grade six in primary schools.

Machogu says there is adequate space to absorb all Grade Seven learners.

The Ministry says that over 20,000 schools are expected to meet the threshold for hosting JSS.

“I direct our multi-sectoral teams to work round the clock to ensure they complete the assessment exercise by the January 20 deadline,” said Machogu

Also Read: CS Machogu Announces Reporting Date for Junior Secondary School Students

Learners joining Grade Seven shall report to their respective Junior Secondary Schools on January 30.

JSS assessment

Ministry officials are currently carrying out a comprehensive countrywide assessment of all public and private schools to determine their readiness to admit learners to JSS and is set to end this Friday.

Adequate land to host the JSS level, the availability of buildings to be used as classrooms and laboratories, availability of  adequate water and power supply are some of the factors being considered in the assessment.

School registration  on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), head teacher qualifications and their area of specialization are also factored.

The number of teachers specifically TSC employed, Board of Management and non-teaching staff as well as the number of teachers with diplomas or bachelor’s degrees must be indicated.

During the assessment, the officials should indicate other details like approximate distance to the nearest learning institution namely public primary, private, public secondary, Tvet or if the location is within 300 metres of a liquor selling outlet.

Equipment like laptops or tablets, projectors, routers and  printers are also factored during the assessment..

The school must have a Science room, space for agricultural projects and assorted farm tools, as well as an adequate playground or field.