Ministry of Education faces backlash over Senior School placement failures

The government has come under heavy criticism for inefficiencies that have resulted in more than 700,000 Grade Nine learners being unable to report for Grade 10 by last weekend.

Elimu Bora Policy and Strategy Advisor, Mr. Boaz Waruku, says many learners have not reported due to poor preparations by the State, which should have released information earlier to give parents time to prepare. He adds that hidden fees, frequent transfers, and poor placement have compounded the high cost of living and parental frustrations.

"We also thought the categorisation of schools into national, provincial, and district schools had ended with the Prof. Munavu report. This creates pressure for children to join the top-ranked schools (C1 and C2)," he said.

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), released in August 2023, proposed scrapping the four-tier clustering of public secondary schools in favour of a career-oriented categorisation dividing schools into three groups. The Prof. Raphael Munavu-led team recommended three broad clusters: STEM, Social Science and Arts, and Sports Science.

"Ministry of Education should discontinue categorisation of public secondary schools under the current nomenclature (National, Extra-County, County, and Sub-County) and move to career pathways at senior school," PWPER proposed. However, today the Ministry of Education has reclassified schools into C1, C2, C3, and C4.

Day schools now reclassified as C4 face a bleak future due to inadequate infrastructure. In many of these schools, not a single learner had reported by last weekend, with only 61% of learners having reported by last Sunday.

According to Dr Vincent Gaitho, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council at Mount Kenya University (MKU), the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system is not a mistake. "Students are being forced to attend local day schools instead of the national schools where they had been invited. We should have been better prepared. Kenya is 63 years old," he said.

"It worries me what will happen in 2029 when Cohort 1 of CBE enters university. We must invest and prepare to face the challenge head-on. The Cabinet Secretary for Education should be able to steer the process. The entire ecosystem must work – the Ministry of Education, politicians, and NG-CDF," he added.

Dr Gaitho regretted that everything is now being left to the President. “Are the County School Systems working? What happened to 100% transition? Why is this impossible under CBE?” he asked.

He said that while all students take the same exam, some score lower due to a lack of teachers, laboratories, and proper facilities. “Some have to imagine what a computer or a swimming pool looks like,” he noted.

Although the number of students scoring C+ and above – the minimum university qualification – is rising, Dr Gaitho emphasised the need to review the TVET curriculum. “Private sector schools in basic education are also not investing in private senior schools,” he said.

The panel discussion took place on a local TV station to address the current crisis in the intake of students into senior secondary schools. Former nominated MP and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the problem did not start recently.

“We are not tracing the root cause. It started in 2016 when the curriculum changed without proper planning,” he said.

Sossion explained that in 2022, KNUT conducted a report on the collapse of basic education. “Teachers were not prepared for the CBC curriculum. The government admitted its mistakes and stated that curriculum review is ongoing. The State has also taken deliberate steps to reform the Teachers Service Commission and instituted extensive curriculum changes,” he added.

He praised the placement of junior schools within primary schools, as senior schools could have been overwhelmed otherwise.

On the current Grade 10 reporting crisis, Sossion said school fees are putting pressure on parents and increasing the demand for bursaries. “Parents are also selective about the schools their children attend. There is a need to reach the students who are still at home,” he noted.

Mr. Yusuf Chanzu, former MP for Vihiga Constituency, said government institutions are failing, resulting in 700,000 learners being stranded at home. “Presidential commission reports in the education sector are not implemented. The President keeps boasting about the number of teachers he has employed. Where is the TSC (Teachers Service Commission)?”

He decried the lack of continuous investment in the education sector. “Commissions, Parliament, and other institutions are not functioning. It starts with corruption in the general elections process, which leads to poor leadership,” he said.

The panellists noted that children and parents have been let down by the government at the KJSEA (Kenya Junior School Education Assessment) level. Issues with teachers and infrastructure in junior schools remain glaring.

“About 74% of students in senior schools are day scholars. Transition to day schools must rise toward 80%. This can only happen if we invest in quality laboratories, classrooms, and other facilities. Transition to senior schools is not a choice. The road to Singapore is through skilled human resources,” Sossion concluded.