The Ministry of Education has launched county-based dialogues and deliberations with various education stakeholders on transition guidelines from junior school to senior school at the Machakos Conference Centre.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba, while speaking during the launch Friday, said the dialogues were a way of giving all partners and stakeholders a chance to narrate their experiences with competency-based education (CBE), while bringing the country up to speed with the transition.
He pointed out that the dialogues, which are nationwide, will start from the 7th to the 14th of March 2025 and are a great chance for teachers, stakeholders and partners to participate and ensure everyone is aligned on what the transition will look like and their level of preparedness.
“We are here to update stakeholders on the status of CBE implementation, provide a platform for stakeholder’s participation in the validation of senior school guidelines, appraise stakeholders on teacher recruitment and capacity building and receive feedback from stakeholders on implementation of CBE.
Ogamba disclosed that the transition guidelines have been crafted to ensure placement of students to grade 10 is swift and consistent and also to clearly allocate roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder during the placement process of grade 10 learners.
“We want to make sure we are not caught up on time in terms of what needs to be done for the transition from grade 9 to grade 10,” said the CS.
While the guidelines will ensure that placement is based on choice, merit and school capacity, they have also been developed to focus on fairness, equity, inclusivity and transparency in placement of learners.
To ensure 100% transition, the guidelines are to ensure there are categorization and inclusivity of schools based on pathways, accommodation, gender and special needs to ensure no child is left behind.
“We want to equip them with skills to navigate a complex world to solve problems to create opportunities and to contribute to society,” added Ogamba.
The CS also noted that the county-based dialogues are not just about a series of speeches and presentations but a way to build trust, collective search for solutions and a collaborative effort that ensures CBE delivers on its promise.
On capitation, he urged teachers not to send students home since they are working with the National Treasury to ensure the balance of Sh14 billion in capitation money is released next week.
The Basic Education PS Dr. Belio Kipsang on his part echoed the CS sentiments, adding that together with the stakeholders and partners, they will ensure that all schools have laboratories since there are 1600 senior schools in the country without labs.
He disclosed that every school will be required to take two pathways and the science pathway will be compulsory for every school, so that they can optimize on the resources already in school.
By Anne Kangero
