Are the 151,000 learners in the first cohort of CBE really missing?

A recent report presented during the National Education Symposium held at the headquarters of Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) sparked national debate after claims emerged that more than 151,000 learners from the first cohort of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system could not be traced within the school system.

The announcement immediately raised concern among parents, education stakeholders, and policymakers, with many interpreting the figures to mean that thousands of learners had dropped out of school.

However, before Kenyans rush to conclude that these learners are “lost,” there is a need to first understand the philosophy, structure, and long-term vision of Competency-Based Education.

Unlike the former 8-4-4 system, which was heavily examination-oriented and largely designed around academic progression toward university education, CBE is structured differently. The curriculum focuses on competencies, practical skills, talents, values, and learner potential. It is based on the understanding that not all learners are gifted in the same way and that success should not only be measured through academic certificates.

Under CBE, learning is organized around both age-based and stage-based progression. Learners are expected to acquire competencies that can prepare them for further education, technical training, entrepreneurship, or even direct participation in the world of work. This means the definition of educational success is gradually changing.

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The organization that presented the report should perhaps have provided a more detailed breakdown showing how many of the 151,000 learners genuinely dropped out of school and how many may have transitioned into vocational training, apprenticeships, technical institutions, creative industries, sports academies, or other skill-based opportunities. Without such clarification, the narrative that all these learners are “missing” risks misleading the public and creating unnecessary panic.

One of the major strengths of Competency-Based Education is that it recognizes multiple pathways to success. The curriculum seeks to nurture every learner’s potential rather than forcing all learners through one rigid academic route.

Learners are now exposed to practical areas such as music, sports, coding, agriculture, fine arts, woodwork, metalwork, theatre arts, masonry, and technical studies from an early stage. These competencies are intended to help learners identify their talents and prepare them for real-life opportunities.

This is not unique to Kenya. Many countries around the world have already embraced education systems that value technical skills, creativity, innovation, and vocational excellence alongside academic achievement.

For example, countries such as Germany and Switzerland have strong vocational and technical education systems where learners can transition into skilled careers without necessarily pursuing traditional university education. In these countries, technical professions are highly respected and contribute significantly to economic growth.

Similarly, Finland, whose education system is globally admired, focuses less on standardized examinations and more on competencies, learner wellbeing, creativity, and practical application of knowledge. Learners are guided according to their strengths and interests rather than being subjected to excessive examination pressure.

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Kenya’s Competency-Based Education system appears to be moving toward this global direction where learners are prepared not only for certificates but also for life, work, and innovation.

Indeed, history has shown that academic progression alone does not always determine success in life. Some of the world’s most successful individuals did not follow conventional academic pathways to completion.

Bill Gates left university before completing his studies and later co-founded Microsoft, becoming one of the richest and most influential people in the world. Steve Jobs also dropped out of college before founding Apple Inc., a company that transformed global technology and communication. Mark Zuckerberg similarly left university to build Meta Platforms.

In the creative and sports industries, many globally successful musicians, athletes, and entrepreneurs built their careers primarily through talent, innovation, and practical skills rather than formal academic qualifications alone.

However, this should not be misunderstood to mean that education is unimportant or that learners should abandon school. Education remains critical in developing values, competencies, discipline, citizenship, communication skills, and lifelong learning. What CBE seeks to promote is flexibility and recognition that learners can succeed through different pathways depending on their strengths and aspirations.

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The real issue therefore should not simply be whether learners are “missing,” but whether Kenya has established strong systems to track learner transitions into different pathways and opportunities. The country must strengthen career guidance, vocational education, technical training institutions, talent academies, and learner support systems to ensure that every learner is meaningfully engaged after Junior and Senior School.

At the same time, the government and stakeholders must still address genuine cases of school dropout caused by poverty, teenage pregnancies, child labor, insecurity, drug abuse, or lack of school resources. These challenges remain real and should never be ignored.

Nevertheless, Kenya must also begin to move away from the outdated belief that success only belongs to those who proceed all the way to university education. Competency-Based Education seeks to redefine success by recognizing that society requires scientists, engineers, artists, technicians, athletes, software developers, entrepreneurs, musicians, builders, and innovators alike.

The debate surrounding the 151,000 learners should therefore become a national opportunity to rethink education and appreciate the broader vision of CBE. The future of education is no longer about producing learners who can only pass examinations. It is about producing competent, ethical, innovative, and productive citizens capable of thriving in different sectors of society.

Before concluding that these learners are “missing,” Kenya must first ask itself whether it fully understands the new direction that Competency-Based Education is taking

By Polycap Ateto

Polycap Ateto is a master student at Open University of Kenya and also CBE facilitator.