The Ministry of Education (MoE) has dismissed a report alleging a high dropout rate among learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, terming the figures unverified and lacking official validation.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok said the ministry does not recognise the report in its current form, noting that it was not issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), but instead attributed to a non-governmental organisation.
“We do not agree with those figures. They have no exact official backing. We are doing our own verification to get to the bottom of the matter,” Prof. Bitok stated in Nakuru.
He added that the ministry is still cross-checking whether the cited numbers actually represent school dropouts, or whether they include other categories of learners within the education system.
From his perspective, Prof. Bitok emphasized that if indeed there are cases of learners who have dropped out, the ministry will work closely with National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) and other partners to trace and return them to school.
“There is a possibility that some of these figures are being misinterpreted. If there are learners who have dropped out, we will work closely with NGAO structures to ensure they are brought back to learning,” he said.
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He further reaffirmed the government’s commitment under President William Ruto to ensure full retention of learners in school, insisting that the administration is targeting near-universal transition rates.
“These figures are not accurate because, as a system, we have achieved a 98 percent transition rate,” he added.
The disputed report, released earlier, raised concern over rising dropout cases under the Competency-Based Education framework. It claimed that more than 151,000 learners from the first CBE cohort failed to complete junior school, sparking debate on the effectiveness of the curriculum rollout.
The Competency-Based Education system (CBE), which replaced the 8-4-4 structure, is currently in a critical implementation phase as the government works to stabilize infrastructure, staffing, and learner transition pathways.
As the Ministry undertakes further verification, the government maintains that accurate data will be released once all figures are fully audited and confirmed.
By Kimwele Mutuku
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