Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has warned of a possible closure or merger of some senior schools with very low Grade 10 enrolment to concentrate resources where learners have chosen to study, and constitutional standards can be met.
Ogamba said the ministry is analyzing placement data to identify schools that attracted few or no students and to determine where consolidation is necessary.
Speaking recently during the Elimu Mashinani forum, Ogamba underscored that the current placement reflects student choice under the competency‑based curriculum. Grade 9 candidates selected 12 schools, three in each cluster (C1–C4) and were placed accordingly.
“If the students did not choose your school, the system would not place them in your school,” he noted, adding that the ministry must respond to the realities revealed by the data.
The CS highlighted stark disparities: some schools received overwhelming demand, over 50,000 applications for about 700 places, while others drew virtually no interest. The imbalance has produced overcrowding in popular institutions and left others underutilized.
“We have been holding up schools that do not need to survive,” Ogamba said, arguing that the post‑placement review will determine which schools lack incoming Grade 10 cohorts and cannot operate effectively.
Ogamba framed the decision as both practical and constitutional. Maintaining schools with only a handful of learners, “a headmaster, a classroom, a watchman and a teacher for 10 children,” is inefficient, he said.
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The ministry aims to invest in schools with adequate numbers and full facilities rather than sustaining “patriotic schools” named for individuals but failing to meet functional learning standards. Ogamba appealed for public support, including from parents, as the ministry makes tough calls.
Once enrolment imbalances are confirmed, the ministry will rebalance staffing to match demand and ensure effective teaching. “We will be calling out the balancing of the teachers to put them in the schools with the required numbers so that teaching can continue effectively,” Ogamba said.
On pathways, Ogamba reported that 53 percent of students have opted for STEM, 38 percent for social sciences, and 11 percent for arts and sports, choices shaped by competencies developed from Grades 1 to 9. Assessment under CBC emphasizes projects and termly evaluations rather than a single terminal exam.
Ogamba also clarified that pathway adjustments can be discussed with career teachers in the first term of Grade 10, provided changes align with demonstrated competencies.
By Masaki Enock
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