The Ministry of Education (MoE) has issued detailed implementation guidelines for senior school and vocational education, outlining new operational standards, subject requirements, and learner support measures to improve quality and uniformity in secondary education.
In the new directive, signed by Principal Secretary Julius K. Bitok, schools are required to strictly adhere to official operating hours.
All day and boarding institutions must follow standardised schedules, with learning for grade 10 learners and students in Forms three and four set to begin at 8.20 a.m.
The schools have also been warned against setting different starting times to ensure harmony across institutions.
The guidelines emphasise resource sharing among schools facing shortages.
Institutions with inadequate learning facilities or staff are encouraged to collaborate within established clusters and share both human and physical resources to support effective learning.
Under the new senior school framework, learners will select academic pathways based on career goals, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, or Arts and Sports Science.
The students pursuing the STEM pathway will be required to take Core Mathematics, while those in Social Sciences or Arts and Sports Science will study Essential Mathematics.
However, learners in non-STEM pathways may take Core Mathematics if their Junior School performance demonstrates sufficient ability.
Each learner will also be required to select three additional subjects, at least two of which must be drawn from their chosen pathway. Schools will allow flexible subject combinations, including cross-pathway selections aligned with career aspirations.
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Students may change their subject choices until the end of term one.
The ministry further directed schools to implement co-curricular and learner support programmes in line with official guidance, while ensuring that institutions maintain the required educational standards and are properly registered
A single certificate will reflect all curriculum levels offered by a school.
The guidelines also place strong emphasis on learner welfare, requiring schools to support students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being, while teachers are expected to adequately prepare for effective instruction.
The Education and Quality Assurance Officers have been tasked with enforcing compliance with the new standards and the Basic Education Regulations (2015).
Copies of the directive were forwarded to key education agencies, including the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Kenya National Examinations Council, and Teachers Service Commission, to support implementation.
Education stakeholders say the reforms are expected to strengthen curriculum delivery, improve resource utilisation, and ensure consistency in the transition to senior school education across the country.
By Kimwele Mutuku
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