The release of the national exams results later this week is expected to trigger a major transition under the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) by determining how millions of learners’ transit to junior and senior schools.
Besides showing how well learners and schools are adapting to the new curriculum, the transition cycle will serve as a key test of President William Ruto’s education system’s readiness with regards to school capacity, teachers’ preparedness and resource gaps.
The release, officials say, will influence placement patterns and guide resource allocation, while also shaping performance rankings.
The release comes in the wake of heightened attention due to revised grading system and increased weight of continuous assessments within CBC transitions, which some experts say could affect performance trends and placement into senior school pathways.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has raised concern over the transition from Competence-Based Curriculum to Competency-Based Education framework, saying its implementation was being done without clear guidance to teachers, parents and learners.
“There is a risk to the future of our children, who are navigating a system with no clear expectations,” the Bishops’ said, in a joint November statement read by Bishop Maurice Muhatia.
Calls have also be made for the government to adequately train and prepare senior secondary school teachers before January’s Grade Nine transition.
“More teachers should be employed and made conversant with the syllabus of CBC in senior schools to avoid the confusion witnessed during the transition of Grade 6 to Grade 7,” Kenya National Parents Association Migori chapter Chairperson Julius Kiberenge recently appealed.
Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba has repeatedly assured parents, learners and education stakeholders that preparations for the transition of Grade 9 students to Grade 10 had been completed.
Parents are expected to, in readiness for the transition, offer guidance to their children. Schools should also strengthen guidance and counseling services in anticipation for student anxiety.
Education specialists emphasize that the results should be viewed within the broader CBC context, where talent, interests and continuous assessment shape learner’s future.
The Ministry of Education will announce the results in Nairobi before opening digital access to school and candidates. Parents will later be guided through the placement process.
All eyes are on how smooth the transition cycle will be and the country’s readiness for the next phase of education reforms.
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