The Ministry of Basic Education, through Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, has announced plans to provide 16,000 new classrooms to accommodate the first cohort of Grade 9 learners in 2025.
Kipsang stated that these classrooms will be ready by January 2025, in time for the enrollment of Grade 9 learners. “By the time our schools open in January, we shall have provided 16,000 classrooms to accommodate Grade 9 learners. This is a responsibility we take seriously as the government,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of providing learners with a conducive environment for education.
Additionally, Kipsang mentioned that the government is committed to providing human resources to ensure quality learning. “In the next financial year, we will be recruiting 20,000 teachers, which will greatly support the implementation of the junior school curriculum,” he added.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, on March 20, revealed that the ministry lacks 15,021 classrooms needed for the first cohort of Grade 9 learners in 2025.
Speaking at the Senate while responding to a query by Nominated Senator Eddy Oketch, Machogu stated, “The ministry has assessed and determined that we have a shortage of 15,021 classrooms for those transitioning into Grade 9 in 2025.”
Machogu further explained that the ministry has tabulated the required number of classrooms nationwide by county and presented the findings to the Senate.
Regarding infrastructure for 2025, Machogu assured that everything is on track. He stated that the government allocated a conditional grant of Sh3.39 billion to the NG-CDF for the purpose of providing infrastructure, which will be distributed across constituencies.
“This conditional grant will be used to build classrooms to address the shortage,” Machogu said. “The NG-CDF is also expected to match this funding from their allocation, so once we build one classroom, they will build another.”
Machogu also mentioned that the government engaged with the World Bank and secured an allocation of Sh9 billion to construct an additional 9,000 classrooms, making a total of 15,000 new classrooms.
“We are working diligently to ensure that necessary infrastructure developments in our schools are completed this year to prepare for the admission of Grade 9 learners,” he concluded.
