Matiang'i releases rules for slum schools

Schools in slums will only be registered after proving that 30 per cent of their teachers are trained and registered with the Teachers Service Commission.

Untrained teachers will have to take recognised in-service training by the third year.

The new regulations, released by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, also require students in those schools to sit for prescribed national examinations.

Slum schools have more than 500,000 children, youth and adults. About 1.9 million children aged six to 13 years and another 2.7 million between 14-17 years are out of school.

The schools will also be required to use a curriculum approved by the government, in a move aimed at reining in schools that were using their own curriculum without the approval of the ministry.

“The institution will be required at all times to provide copies of the current approved syllabus for the curriculum offered at the institution,” states the regulations.

The institutions must also adhere to timetabling guidelines for subjects and courses as provided by the ministry and must allow for flexibility.

“The institution shall provide a variety of co-curricular and entertainment activities to enhance holistic development,” add the regulations.

TEXT BOOK RATIO

The ministry further states that the pupil-teacher ratio in a primary or secondary school must not exceed 55:1 and 45:1 respectively while the minimum pupil-text book ratio in lower primary will be 3:1, whereas, in upper primary and secondary schools it will be a minimum of 2:1

The regulations have also restricted the registration of such schools in slums in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and other urban areas as well as in arid and semi-arid regions.

The county education board will be required to inform the applicant within l4 days upon deliberation by the county education board and give reasons for deferring or rejecting the registration of the institution.

The applicant will be accorded an opportunity within a specific time frame to conform to the minimum registration requirement.

The board will establish and maintain a register of all institutions that have applied and have either been approved, registered, re-registered, de-registered, deferred or rejected.

Institutions will be required to seek re-registration once the provisional registration certificate has expired; when it is relocating to a new site; when there is a change of the approved enrolment; or when a new curriculum is introduced.

FRESH REGISTRATION

Also, when an institution changes its name, its ownership or its status, it will be required to seek fresh registration.

An institution can be deregistered for non-compliance with the Basic Education Act and any other applicable existing legal provisions, regulations and guidelines provided by the ministry or if a petition before a court of law has been heard and determined against the institution.

The institutions will be required to create a learner-friendly environment that must be safe and that conforms with ministry-set minimum standards that support good health and uphold rights.

An institution will be registered if it provides at least a title deed or allotment letter that should be in the name of the institution or a tenancy agreement that provides for smooth transitions in case of change of use.

They will also be required to provide adequate sanitation resources and facilities in line with the provision of public health.

Others will be tuition facilities such as classrooms, libraries and a resource centre.

Dr Matiang’i said the guidelines will mainly apply to service providers who support education in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and other urban areas as designated by law.