Trans Nzoia: All 2024 Grade 8 pupils in Trans Nzoia County have successfully progressed to Grade 9. Speaking to KNA on Tuesday, Trans Nzoia County Director of Education Pamela Akello attributed the success to cooperation between stakeholders and commitment by the government to ensure all Kenyan children are given an equal platform to access education irrespective of background, gender, race, or religion.
According to Kenya News Agency, Akello praised the World Bank's involvement through the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Programme (KPEEL) for its support, which has led to the construction of more classrooms. She emphasized that the Ministry of Education is dedicated to providing quality education, highlighting the collaboration with KPEEL to build classrooms for Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). This initiative has been crucial in achieving the complete transition of students from Grade 8 to Grade 9.
Through the KPEEL Programme, Akello noted that 245 JSS classrooms have been constructed in Trans Nzoia County. The first phase of the programme saw the construction of 77 classrooms, while an additional 168 were built in the second phase. She mentioned that 78 more schools are planned to benefit in the yet-to-be-launched third phase and urged stakeholder engagement and corporate support to tackle other educational challenges, such as the shortage of desks and lockers.
In addition to the third phase of classroom construction, Akello stated that the Ministry of Education's budget will facilitate the building of classrooms in 68 more schools within Trans Nzoia. Regarding the timely supply of Grade 9 textbooks, Akello acknowledged minor challenges in cases of student transfers but assured that these issues are being addressed with data sent to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.