Upgrade of national schools to cost Shs.75m

Written By:Claire Wanja/KNA,    Posted: Tue, Aug 16, 2011

An additional 30 schools will be funded in the next financial year and the remaining 27 subsequently. The ministry of education is set to spend   shs.750 million to help upgrade some of the proposed new national schools. Education minister Prof Sam Ongeri said 30 schools across the country will benefit to a tune of shs.25 million each to help improve physical facilities before January 2012. Speaking at Masimba in his Nyaribari Masaba constituency, Ongeri said that the funds would be channeled to beneficiary schools in good time to enable them procure contracts for infrastructure expansion. "We intend to create 4500 new form one admissions at national school level in a bid to curb the shortage of vacancies for qualified individuals experienced earlier this year. So my ministry is keen on increasing the number of national schools from the current 18," he said. Ongeri said that the government was planning to have at least two national schools per county and the 30 schools were only in phase one of the exercise aimed at creating 87 new national schools countrywide expected to be completed in three years time. He said an additional 30 schools will be funded in the next financial year and the remaining 27 subsequently. The minister noted that the three phase programme would be collapsed to two and the 57 remaining institutions funded next year subject to the prevailing national economy status. Thousands of last year's KCPE candidates missed out on national schools admissions due to limited vacancies in the existing national schools forcing the ministry of education to deny pupils from private academies chances. Ongeri said the move to expand space at national schools category was informed by the hue and cry from students who missed vacancies, parents and stake holders. He was optimistic that more students would be accommodated in national schools and pointed out that the new national schools will compete favorably with the existing ones and allayed fears that the move would compromise academic standards. The minister asked boards of governors of beneficiary schools to utilize the funds wisely to enable create more room and facilities to benefit students and help the government fulfill the immediate objective. Elsewhere, Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya has decried the quality of education in the country saying it has been compromised. Oparanya says despite the government's efforts to ensure access to education for all, there is need to address the quality offered. He cited among others teacher's absenteeism, poor training, teachers' shortage and poverty as factors affecting the quality of education in the country. Speaking in Nairobi during Monday evening's forum organized by Western Mps to address education standards in their region, the minister called on leaders including administrators to commit themselves towards ensuring quality education.