NAIROBI — Teachers in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are warning that the shortage of laboratories, workshops, computer labs, and libraries is undermining efforts to prepare learners for the three senior school pathways under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
National Spokesperson for the Kenya Junior School Teachers Association (KEJUSTA), Omari Omari, said the glaring lack of facilities has left both teachers and learners frustrated.
“We are supposed to come in, get laboratories, workshops, computer labs, and libraries so that we prepare our students properly. Unfortunately, we have no facilities or not enough facilities to be able to do that,” Omari told reporters.
Teachers’ Growing Frustration
Omari noted that many JSS tutors joined the profession as interns before organizing under KEJUSTA to push for better working conditions, professional growth, and resources that directly impact learning outcomes.
He stressed that without hands-on training, learners risk entering senior school unprepared.
“The shortage of facilities limits students’ exposure to practical experiments, technology, and hands-on learning, which are critical for the academic, technical, and vocational pathways,” he said.
Call for JSS Autonomy
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and JSS tutors have intensified calls for the government to grant JSS full autonomy, arguing that keeping it domiciled in primary schools has created confusion over administration, sports, and co-curricular activities.
According to the teachers, an independent framework would allow stronger curricular and extracurricular programs tailored to JSS students’ needs.
Stakeholders Push Back
But not all education stakeholders agree. The Education Stakeholders Association of Kenya (ESAK) maintains that keeping JSS under primary schools was a decision made after nationwide consultations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) in 2022.
“Parents agreed that children aged between 11 and 14 years are still young and require close parental supervision. That is why the recommendation was adopted,” said ESAK National Secretary Ndung’u Wangenye.
He cautioned that shifting learners into separate institutions could expose them to higher risks, pointing to recent unrest in some secondary schools.
