Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said the government is stepping up efforts to ensure all Grade 10 learners report to their respective senior schools this week, as part of a push to achieve 100 per cent transition.
The Deputy President said no student should be turned away for lack of school fees or uniform, in line with a directive issued by President William Ruto.
Speaking on Sunday during an interdenominational church service in Maemba, Sigowet Soin, Kericho County, Kindiki said measures had been intensified to ensure every learner is in class before the end of the week.
“This week, the President ordered all the Grade 10 students to report to school whether they have uniforms or not, fees or not. We will not have any other discussion before this happens,” the DP stated.
He said action had already been taken following the presidential directive, noting that the number of learners reporting to school had risen sharply.
“After the presidential directive, I have spoken with the Ministry of Education officials, and the transition rate, which was at 50 per cent, has gone up to 92 percent. This week we will make sure every child is in school then we can talk about other requirements,” he added.
Kindiki said the government would not entertain debate on admission requirements until all learners are fully enrolled.
He further noted that the government was addressing challenges in the education sector by employing more teachers and expanding learning infrastructure.
“We had a shortage of 116,000 teachers in 2022. In three years, we have employed 100,000 and the remaining will be employed before next year. We have built 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories. We would not allow our schools to have any challenges,” the DP said.
The Deputy President also said President Ruto remained focused on transforming Kenya into a first-world economy through targeted investments in key sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure, education and health, alongside job creation.
“The President has applied a higher gear targeting elevating the country’s economy to the first world in one generation and we are focused on ensuring we achieve that,” Kindiki noted.
