Narok County Director of Education Apollo Apuko has confirmed that all schools have reopened for the first term as expected and that the new grade nine class has commenced well in most of the schools in the county
This is despite the teething problems that were expected to affect the grade nine learners who are expected to use new textbooks, classrooms, and additional teachers.
Apuko confirmed that out of 600 new classrooms that were being constructed to accommodate the grade nine students, only 90 classrooms have not been completed.
“We have assessed the situation and established that the 90 classrooms yet to be constructed are in schools with a very low population where one class can be divided into two to accommodate the grade nine students,” he explained.
Apuko noted that most of the classrooms had been constructed by the government through the Department of Education and the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), while others had been constructed by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that operate in the area.
He encouraged schools that lack enough infrastructure to find temporary solutions to accommodate the new class so that learning can continue smoothly.
The director confirmed that all schools had received learning materials for the grade nine students and that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had employed teachers to help handle the new class.
This comes at a time when the Principal Secretary for Education, Belio Kipsang, has called on all school heads to develop a strategy to contain the grade nine students before the government completes the construction of the remaining classrooms in a month’s time.
Meanwhile, Narok town was a bee-hive of activities on Monday as parents used the last-minute opportunity to shop for their children.
Many parents complained of a hard economy, saying they were shopping for only the basic items, with a hope of doing more shopping when their children come back home during the mid-terms.
Major bookshops, school uniform shops, and supermarkets were full of activities, while the bus terminus was crowded with people.
By Ann Salaton
