Schools heads among other education stakeholders listening to speeches. (Photo: Roberto Muyela)
The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr. Fred Matiang’i has advised secondary school head teachers to embrace Information Communication Technology (ICT) and use online platforms to market their institutions besides showcasing various achievements.
In a speech read on his behalf by Milton Mokah, the Director of Early Child Development Education and Teacher Development during the Regional launch of form one selection in Kisumu, Dr. Matiang’i noted that most schools had tremendous achievements in both curricular and extra-curricular activities but lamented that this was not taken into consideration.
Through establishment of functional websites, the CS observed that the school managements would keep parents among other stakeholders informed on the contemporary developments in their respective institutions.
He stated that his Ministry was keen to provide equitable, affordable and quality education to students pointing out that they have achieved 100 per cent transition rate into secondary schools for pupils who sat for 2017 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
To ensure the transiting students are provided with a conducive learning environment Dr. Matiang’i said the government has earmarked Sh6.4 billion for an upgrade program for infrastructural development.
"This has seen the construction of 22,740 classrooms, 349 science laboratories and 326 toilets. With the 100 per cent transition the government is also set to expand the development kitty”, he stated in the speech.
The education CS however put on red alert school heads charging exorbitant fees and also cautioned those demanding ream papers, dictionaries, atlases, exercise books and Kamusi during form one admission warning that stern action will be taken against them as the ministry has scrapped such requirements.
Nyanza Regional Education Coordinator, Richard Limo lauded the Education Ministry for expediting this year’s marking and selection processes terming it a strategy by the government to entrench sanity in the sector which he said was a hallmark in the Kenya n education history.
Limo nonetheless affirmed that plans were a foot to ensure problems encountered during the selection phase and are dully addressed.
For instance, he noted that some boys were mistakenly enrolled in girls’ schools while a section of girls have also been enrolled in boys schools.