Lubao FM News 
The government is rolling out the construction of more than 11,000 new classrooms in over 7,000 schools in the country as it prepares for the transition to junior secondary under the CBC programme. Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha has listed the number of classrooms to be constructed in the first phase in each county.
Regions like Baringo are already facing a classrooms crisis owing to the number of submerged schools in the area. At least 20,000 new classrooms are required in the country to bridge the gap, but for now, Prof. Magoha in a circular said the ministry is rolling out construction of 11,578 new classrooms in 7,686 schools countrywide.
The project is estimated will cost the taxpayer an estimated Ksh.9 billion. At least 156 schools in the 7 sub-counties in Baringo County will have 200 new classrooms. Kakamega County tops the list of those with the highest number of new classrooms to be constructed, with a total of 597 new classrooms spread across its sub-counties in at least 353 schools.
The neighbouring Bungoma County will construct 497 new classrooms in 307 schools in specified sub-counties.
Kitui County will also benefit greatly in this first phase, with the ministry rolling out construction of 444 classrooms. Kiambu County will get 435 new classrooms distributed across all its 13 sub-counties.
Homa Bay County will get 412 new CBC classrooms, while Vihiga will benefit from 232 new classrooms in the junior secondary school roll-out. Garissa County as well as Marsabit County will put up the lowest number of new classrooms at 42 and 38 respectively.
According to the Ministry of Education, mapping of all secondary schools was done including establishing their location and the number of classrooms before arriving at the list. The Catholic Church has lauded the government’s move to expand learning space in the country and wants the ministry to also look into the teachers-learners ratio.
The government says it will release criteria of admission of grade six learners to junior secondary where they will be required to select the nearby secondary schools in which their CBC classrooms have been constructed.
