According to the ministry, the enrollment, availability of facilities, and security of each school will be taken into consideration in determining which schools will be able to host junior secondary students, and which will be merged with other schools.

Only schools with more than 45 students will be eligible to host junior secondaries, while those with fewer will be merged with nearby schools.

The ministry will also consider the number of diploma and graduate teachers required to teach junior secondary.

In terms of infrastructure, the ministry will look at the size and ownership of the land, as well as the availability of at least two extra classes for junior secondary students and the physical infrastructure available, including sanitation and food handling.

The schools will also be assessed on their preparedness to take on the different subjects that the students will undertake, especially those that require practicals.

One of the essential requirements for junior secondary schools is the availability of a laboratory for use by students for Integrated Science lessons.

“We must roll up our sleeves and invest heavily in it to make sure that we not only have the science laboratory but it is fully equipped and of course, the science laboratory also needs a science laboratory technician,” said John Maina, the director of Lake Wood Academies.

President William Ruto has earlier said during a joint media interview that public schools which face a large task in the transition will convert extra classrooms into laboratories, and suggested that schools that share land with high schools could also share resources.

The ministry will conduct an assessment that will guide the transition to junior secondary between January 9 and January 20.

The inaugural Grade 7 students are expected to report by the end of January.

Some headteachers have proposed the introduction of new school uniforms for junior secondary students, to differentiate them from their lower primary counterparts.