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Matiang'i proposes day streams for national schools

matiang'i

Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i (right) during the second day of Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Conference at Wild Waters in Mombasa on 20th June 2017. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NMG

National schools will have the opportunity to have day streams, Cabinet Secretary for Education Fred Matiang’i has said.

Dr Matiang’i said this is part of the ongoing education reforms and also to enhance access education.

Speaking at the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) conference at Wild Waters in Mombasa, Dr Matiang’i said day schooling is going to be critical in move to improve the education sector.

“To enhance access to education our new focus is going to be the day schools. For a long time we have ignored day schools. Sometimes we have ignored schools in the back waters of the country

"If we look at how we have deployed the infrastructure resources you can see. We have had issues towards uplifting schools,” said Dr Matiang’i.

He said this will allow big national schools to explore possibilities of having day schools.

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“If there are students who can go to the national schools and go back home in the evening we will work with you and see how we can support you on that because day schooling is critical as we move forward,” he said.

He added that the programme may never apply across the country but the areas where schools have the capabilities for the same.

“If you request and demonstrate that you can manage day school stream, as a national school, we will support you to do that. There are other areas which we know that cannot work and that is why we are saying we will not implement it as a demand on all our schools,” he told the principals.

He noted that among schools that can be considered for the same are Alliance Girls, Kenya High, Moi Kabarak among other national schools.

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Expand capacity

“This if to those who can feel they can expand their capacity through this opportunity provided that you can demonstrate that it can work for you,” said Dr Matiang’i.

The CS said the government was committed in facilitating the new education reforms adding it will stand with the principals to deliver their mandate.

He said the government was ready to provide the free secondary education, a plan it has been working for in the last four years.

“Actions that have taken in the last four years were focused on building towards free education, increasing capitation and putting resources aside to improve infrastructure.

"We are not writing new curriculum for the government but for Kenyan children. I can confirm to you to that we are now ready to provide free secondary education and we have been working on this for this tirelessly,” he said.

In its plan to introduce the free secondary education, Dr Matiang’i said the government will channel resources in expanding the institutions to accommodate students next year when the programme starts.

“We will have more teachers in place and that you can take it from me that this will work. Infrastructure will be improved and all other areas be looked after as expected of us,” he said.

On Monday, during his address at the conference Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the government had injected Sh7 billion for expansion of secondary schools ahead of the free secondary education programme.

He said the expansion will include an additional 2,000 classrooms, 1,000 laboratories and 1000 sanitary facilities in the institutions.