At a public school in Mogonga, Bomachoge Borabu constituency, one of the only two newly posted junior secondary school (JSS) teachers completes a lesson and moves to the next.
The two teachers recruited by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are a week old at the school and are supposed to teach the three Grade Seven classes.
“It is tedious I can tell you. I have not specialised in all combinations, but you have seen me taking another subject. That is the situation on the ground. We are only two here who were sent specifically for JSS, but it is difficult to manage three classes where students are supposed to take 14 lessons,” lamented the new teacher, who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal because he has just been recruited.
The Nation team last week sat through JSS lessons in select public and private schools nationwide, an exercise that revealed the confusion and the burden that plagues the first cohort to join junior secondary education under the competency-based curriculum (CBC).
What emerges is a contrasting tale of two Kenyas — the first one comprised mainly public schools, which are struggling with congestion, staff shortage, lack of textbooks and infrastructure challenges, including lack of laboratories for science lessons.
Then there are private schools that have invested in the new educational level, with well-staffed small class sizes, and their students are ahead of their peers, exploring the new world of junior secondary education in new blocks, laboratories and through new teaching aids, including online material.
As a pointer to the congestion, one public school had 171 students in three streams with only two teachers, compared to a private institution that had six teachers for its 40 learners in two streams of 20 students each.
It’s noon at Merryland Academy Kapkilel in Nandi County, where learners are packed in class for a science lesson under the close guidance of newly employed graduate teachers.
The excited learners donning navy blue sweaters, white shirts, navy blues dresses and trousers, and, red ties were examining a Bunsen banner, among other scientific kits.
It’s among the laboratory items that they will be using throughout their junior secondary school education in Grades Seven, Eight and Nine. With 112 students — 60 boys and 52 girls — in two streams, the headteacher, Mr Shaddrak Lang’at, said the school has employed five qualified teachers for the JSS section.
“For now, we have almost enough teachers, but we still have to employ more as the population of students increases,” Mr Lang’at explained, adding that some graduate teachers in the primary school will support the JSS section for a while.
To prepare for JSS, the management of the school acquired land where new classrooms and other amenities are being built.
By contrast, Nandi Primary School, a public institution with 171 students, has only two teachers who were recently posted by TSC. The students are accommodated in three classrooms, some with 60 learners compared to the standard maximum of 45.
Learners were squeezed into refurbished classrooms, with little space for movement as they struggled to pay attention to the teacher.
The school has not yet received learning material. The two teachers were struggling to generate content for the learners due to a delay in the distribution of course books.
The students had new school uniforms that distinguished them from the rest of the pupils in primary school.
Nandi Primary School headteacher Patrick Kitur, who is also the chairman of Nandi Primary Schools Heads Association, said the school needs more funds to build new classrooms.
“We appeal to the government to help us put up new classrooms, water supply systems, and dining halls for the learners. For now, we are struggling to sustain the huge population of learners of 1,580 and we are expecting even more,” Mr Kitur stated.
Mr Kitur urged TSC to post more teachers and send textbooks to public schools. He noted that many schools will be forced to hire board of management (BoM) teachers due to the serious shortage they are facing under the new arrangement.
The situation is similar at Makutano Primary school, a public school in West Pokot County, where 120 students are crammed into one classroom. The headteacher, Mr Julius Arusei, said there are four JSS teachers.
“We are facing a challenge in classrooms because we have many learners,” Mr Arusei said.
In Mombasa, Fairfield Academy has six graduate teachers for the two streams of 20 students each, a reasonable class size that facilitates individual attention to students by the teachers.
“We do not want congestion due to activities in Grade Seven, the effectiveness of teaching and understanding of the learners so that they can choose their pathways when they get to Grade Nine,” said Mr George Gitonga, who is also the assistant secretary of the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) Coast chapter.
The 40 pupils at the private school in downtown Mombasa have already begun learning French, a plus for them because a majority of the schools are yet to start teaching foreign languages due to lack of teachers.
“I am lucky we began teaching French a long time ago although I lost one teacher who went to Nairobi. I have managed to employ two more French teachers and our students have been excelling in it,” explained Mr Gitonga.
He added: “The management has prepared all the necessary infrastructure to ensure smooth learning. We have all the designs related to Grade Seven. We have received new students from other schools.”
The school is planning a meeting with the parents of the Grade Seven learners to select the optional subjects based on their strengths.
The core subjects include English, mathematics, pre-technical studies, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language, integrated science, social studies, business studies, agriculture, and religious education. Other subjects are health education, sports and physical education, and life skills.
The Grade Seven learners are choosing a maximum of two out of seven subjects, including visual arts, performing arts, home science, computer science, a foreign language (either German, French, Arabic, Mandarin), Kenyan Sign Language and Indigenous Language.
However, in public schools in Mombasa, Lamu, Kwale, Kilifi and Tana River, teachers are grappling with congestion, with some learners forced to sit on the floor due to lack of desks.
“I teach 88 JSS learners, it is very tough,” said a teacher at a public school in Mombasa.
Our teams established that two weeks after learners reported, some public schools have not yet received learning material.
The spot check revealed, for instance, that most public schools in the North Rift also lack laboratories for JSS learners.
They are still waiting for the government to release capitation funds for the construction of classrooms and other facilities.
Most schools, both private and public, have adopted new uniforms for JSS learners. Some private schools are charging between Sh18,000 and Sh30,000 per term, up from Sh10,000 and Sh20,000.
In Uasin Gishu, at Kapsoya School, two graduate teachers have been deployed to teach the 75 Grade Seven learners.
“Learning is going on well. We have adequate books provided by the government,” explained Ms Bevaline Langat, the headteacher. Eldoret Baraka School, a private institution with 30 learners, has a functional laboratory.
Mr Hesbon Sitati, the deputy headteacher, said although the schools received graduate teachers, most lack proper training on CBC.
“Most of the graduate teachers lack skills on how to teach CBC. It would have helped to have a workshop or seminar to equip the teachers,’ said Mr Sitati, adding that most private schools and parents are also struggling to get textbooks for some of the subjects.
A textbook is retailing at between Sh600 and Sh800, with some of the books out of stock. Many parents cannot find books for some of the subjects, such as fine arts or creative arts.
At Makutano Central Academy Primary School, we found smartly dressed learners in class listening to their class teacher, Ms Mercy Simiyu Wanjala. She teaches eight lessons in a day.
The school’s director, Mr Wilbert Mukhwana, said the class has 35 students — 13 girls and 22 boys. “So far we have no major challenges,” said Mr Mukhwana.
In Nyanza, many public schools are struggling with JSS due to lack of teachers. At Joel Omino Primary School in Nyalenda, Kisumu County, the 265 students enrolled for JSS are taught by five teachers.
“Our experience with junior secondary school is very interesting. Given the fact that they have different uniforms, there’s a lot of excitement among them,” said the school’s headteacher, Ms Veronica Otieno.
“The new system enables the children to be critical thinkers and go-getters. Compared to the 8-4-4 system, I feel it is a better system for the future generation,” said Ms Margaret Ogutu, a teacher at the school.
At Set Greenhill Academy, a renowned private school in Kisii Town, learning was going on smoothly. The school has made arrangements to have enough teachers for its two streams of JSS.
“We are on our own. We bought our textbooks a long time ago. We have adequate staff looking after our learners,” said the school’s headteacher, Mr Ben Otieno.
In Kirinyaga County, learners at Kerugoya Municipality Junior Secondary School, a private school, were watching a YouTube video on modern cultivation practices in one of the lessons our team attended.
Reporting by Stanley Kimuge, Tom Matoke, Oscar Kakai, Annabel Obala, Winnie Atieno, Wycliffe Nyaberi, Elizabeth Ojina and George Munene
