By Peter Ochieng

Admission of Junior Secondary School (JSS) learners is on its third day across the country, as parents and guardians rush against time to settle their children in schools before learning kicks off proper, in the coming days.

The government is paying Sh15, 000 for junior secondary school learners in public schools, a move which has come as major relief to parents.

Additionally, the government is supplying the necessary learning materials, with parents being required to cater for school uniforms.

Charles Ochome, the national chairman, Kenya Private Schools Association (KEPSA) says it is a good thing that the government is paying fees for learners in public schools.

He however suggested that the government considers giving the Sh15, 000 to learners through their parents, so that they join their schools of choice in a bid to reduce crowding in public schools across the country.

Ochome told Nairobi Review Africa in his office in Kisumu on Tuesday that if parents get the money directly from the government, they can take children to schools of choice and top up any amount if need be.

He said they have observed cases of low turnout for JSS learners in some of the schools, across the country.

“We have been monitoring the opening of the term as far as particularly the Junior Secondary is concerned. So far we have seen students coming back to school but we have also observed that there is low turnout in some of the schools,” said Ochome.

“We are still not sure of what the problem is but I think at the end of the week we will be able to be clear on the reason as to why there is low turnout in certain schools,” he added.

Over 1 million learners who sat for the grade 6 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in November 2022 are expected to join JSS, under the government’s 100% transition policy.