The call for stand‑alone Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) was voiced during a forum held at Kirinyaga University, where Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge Kururia, a member of the National Assembly Education Committee, reported that the proposal has garnered widespread backing from teachers, parents and other stakeholders across Kenya.
Kururia explained that the committee is reviewing six bills aimed at overhauling the country’s education laws and has been collecting written memoranda and video testimonies to shape the legislation. He said many Kenyans want JSS to operate as distinct institutions with their own leadership, allocated budgets and boards of management, arguing that such autonomy would improve accountability and learning conditions.
Josphat Kariuki, the Kirinyaga County Junior Secondary School Secretary for the Kenya Union of Post‑Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), echoed the demand, noting that while JSS could continue sharing facilities like playgrounds with primary schools, they should be managed separately to address their unique academic and administrative needs.
Representing private schools, Solomon Munene called for broader reforms, urging the creation of a clear legal framework for funding and coordinating co‑curricular activities, the establishment of a revolving education fund through a public‑private partnership, and an extension of provisional registration licences from one to three years to give schools time to meet regulatory recommendations.
Munene also pressed for equitable access to bursaries and scholarships for learners in private institutions, stressing that all Kenyan children, regardless of school type, should benefit from financial aid. The Education Committee will forward the collected views to President William Ruto and Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba for consideration in the upcoming legislative process.