NAIROBI, Kenya — The government has announced plans to merge some secondary schools with low student enrolment as part of efforts to rationalise resources and improve the quality of education across the country.
Speaking at a public event on Saturday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the move will allow authorities to consolidate resources while converting underutilised institutions into other useful facilities.
According to the PS, the government will simultaneously expand infrastructure in schools with higher student populations to accommodate learners who will be affected by the planned mergers.
“We have to rethink what to do with most of the small schools we have, and it may involve converting them into other facilities while expanding the capacity of other schools to ensure we have very good institutions across the country,” Bitok said.
He added that the government intends to invest more resources in improving laboratories, dormitories, and staffing levels in schools that will absorb additional learners.
CBC transition challenges
The proposal comes amid challenges facing some schools following the transition to the senior school level under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Earlier this year, several institutions — particularly those in the category four bracket, formerly known as sub-county schools — reported extremely low student enrolment when they reopened to receive learners transitioning to Grade 10.
In some cases, classrooms remained largely empty, with a number of schools reporting that no students had reported despite being designated as senior school centres.
School administrators attributed the low turnout to the current placement system, saying many learners assigned to the institutions were drawn from distant regions, making it difficult for families to send their children to the schools.
Headteachers also pointed to the government’s transfer window, which allows students to request placement changes, saying the review and transfer process further complicated enrolment patterns.
Uneven student distribution
While some institutions recorded very low numbers, others admitted students at full capacity.
In certain cases, parents were reportedly forced to return home with their children despite holding placement letters because the schools had already reached their admission limits.
Education officials say the uneven distribution of learners has highlighted the need to reassess how school infrastructure is utilised.
Last October, Julius Ogamba indicated that the government was reviewing schools with extremely low enrolment, some of which reportedly had fewer than 10 students.
“We are doing something about the number of ghost schools in the country. Some of the institutions we have have less than ten students,” Ogamba said at the time.
He noted that rationalising such schools would help improve transparency in the distribution of government capitation funds to learning institutions.
