CBC Confusion, Why Parents Should Worry As Grade 6 Set To Join JSS

The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) under the 2-6-3-3 system of education in Kenya was introduced in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 system of education which has served Kenya for 32 years.

As we all know, education is a vehicle for economic and social change. It is, therefore, imperative that the curriculum is constantly reviewed to keep abreast with the globalization of the labor market and demand for the acquisition of twenty-first-century skills.

Many countries have shifted from content-based curricula to competency-based teaching-learning approaches

In November 2021, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha confirmed that the government had disbursed 4 billion shillings to facilitate the construction of junior secondary school classrooms. The classrooms being built are in conformation to the current CBC.

CBC requires Grade Six pupils to transition to junior secondary schools at Grade Seven which makes it a tough task is given that Standard Eight pupils from the 8-4-4 curriculum will also be joining form one.

The allocation was meant to ensure the government meets the target of constructing 10,000 classrooms set to serve at least 1.2 million learners from Grade Six in 2023, with a tentative deadline for the project being July 2022.

In terms of the construction of classrooms, the school heads said that most schools, especially those built before independence lacked the space for expansion thus opting for story buildings which mean more money

According to the article that was done by Nation, there are more than 1.28 million learners who will join a junior secondary school (JSS) in January 2023 and will compete for limited spaces in top schools.

An almost equal number of learners who are under the 8-4-4 system will join Form One at the same time in a double intake that is expected to stretch school resources, although the government insists there is no cause for worry.

Currently, learners under CBC are selecting their preferred schools in an exercise that will close on August 30^th, 2022. However, many parents are still in the dark about how to select JSS institutions.

For the first time, the ministry will place learners in private schools based on their selection. Learners will be placed in secondary schools depending on their performance in the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, which has replaced the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, and KCPE exams.

The assessment is administered formatively in grades 4,5 and 6, with a summative assessment at the end of Grade 6. The first such assessment will be administered in November 2022.

According to the report by the task force on enhancing access, relevance, transition, equity, and quality for effective curriculum reforms implementation projected that there will be a shortage of 1,489,144 places in secondary schools.

The government embarked on the construction of 10,000 extra classrooms but the number still falls short. Besides, the program does not cater to the construction of dormitories and other facilities.

Schools in Kenya, especially secondary schools have been experiencing congestion owing to the introduction of the 100 percent transition from primary to secondary school. There has been no expansion of infrastructure to match the increase in student numbers.

Related Content: Schools Have Until This Month To Administer Up To Five 8-4-4, CBC Exams