Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has today commissioned phase two of the CBC classrooms in Kiambu County.
The CS who visited Rungiri, Uthiru and Mary Leakey secondary schools in Kabete Sub-County said the completion of the CBC classrooms was moving well and that the Kabete Sub County classrooms are on course and at 100 percent.
The second phase of CBC classrooms, the CS confirmed, is at 80 percent across the country while Kiambu County is now at 94 percent but by next week will hit the 100 percent mark and hopefully over 3,500 classrooms will be delivered.
Counties like Marsabit, Mandera and even Nyeri, the CS confirmed were at 100 percent but added despite the zones of Nyanza, North Eastern and Central doing well, the Western part which is at around 68 percent, Nairobi and Mombasa were still lagging behind .
“We need to encourage each other and be able to complete these classrooms, money is there, and we are building the schools at almost half the usual price at Sh788, 200 shillings compared to around Sh1.4 million that would normally be used. Together as a team we want to deliver 10,000 classrooms in about 10 months,” the CS said.
He called upon the incoming administration to embark on the further additional 10,000 classrooms that may be required and thanked the Chiefs and the County Commissioners in the counties who have been at the forefront in ensuring that the classes are finished in time
On the children going back to school after the break today, Magoha called upon all principals in schools not to send learners home because of the fee arrears. “Because we are in very difficult times, I plead with school heads not to send children home for fees during these economic times,” he said.
He encouraged teachers to work together with parents noting that despite the lost time, they should not underestimate the students, as they are resilient.
“Some of these students have completed their syllabus and are in revision mode. We are in a difficult transition period and we hope all will go well and there will be no interference with the school calendar,” Magoha noted.
The CS acknowledged that the biggest elephant in the room will be the CBC transition since there will be two intakes in January next year and this he noted requires focus and thanked the private schools that have produced around 5,000 classrooms available for the Junior Secondary School.
The commissioning today saw two CBC classrooms at PCEA Rungiri High School in Kabete, two CBC classrooms at Uthiru Girls High as well as two CBC classrooms at Mary Leakey Girls High School all in Kiambu County officially opened.
By Wangari Ndirangu
