The Ministry of Education (Kenya) has announced plans to merge some secondary schools across the country that have very low student enrollment.
Speaking during a public event on Saturday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the move is part of government efforts to better use resources in the education sector.
According to Bitok, some of the schools with very few learners may be merged or converted into other useful facilities. At the same time, the government plans to expand schools that already have many students by building more classrooms and dormitories.
This, he said, will help accommodate learners who may be moved from schools with low enrollment.
“Most of the small schools we have need to be reviewed so that we can decide the best way forward. Some may be converted into other facilities while we strengthen and expand schools that already have many learners,” Bitok said.
He added that the government plans to invest more resources in education to improve facilities such as laboratories, dormitories and also increase the number of teachers in schools.
However, the Principal Secretary did not give a clear timeline on when the merging of the schools will begin or what some of the affected schools will eventually be turned into.
The issue of low student numbers in some schools has been a concern since the beginning of the year when learners started reporting to Grade 10 under the new system.
Several schools, especially those in the category four level—formerly known as sub-county schools—reopened expecting students transitioning to senior school under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
However, some of the schools reported very low turnout, with a few even saying no students reported at all.
Some headteachers blamed the situation on the new placement system, saying many students were placed in schools that are far from their homes.
Others also pointed to the transfer window opened by the government, which allowed students to change schools after placement. According to them, the review and transfer process made the situation even more complicated.
At the same time, other schools across the country reportedly received more students than they could handle. In some cases, parents were forced to go back home with their children even after receiving placement letters because the schools had already reached full capacity.
Last year in October, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba also raised concerns about schools with very low enrollment.
He said the government had discovered that some schools had fewer than 10 students, raising questions about the existence of so-called “ghost schools” and how funds are distributed.
According to Ogamba, merging such schools could help improve transparency and ensure education resources are used more effectively
