- Enock Okong’o argues that successful education reform requires honest assessment, shared responsibility and sustained leadership.
- He says schools must move beyond examination scores to nurture practical skills, creativity and problem-solving abilities.
- Okong’o calls for coordinated funding, assessment and accountability to ensure CBC achieves its intended transformation.
When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins, he did not rush to make speeches. He went at night to inspect the broken gates and collapsed sections, and only then did he call the people together with a clear plan. His work was not just about laying stones. It was about vision, ownership and rebuilding what a generation had neglected.
Kenya’s education sector finds itself at a similar place. The 8-4-4 system, and those before it, carried us for decades but left cracks: learners trained to memorise and pass one big exam, schools judged by mean scores, and graduates who struggled to apply knowledge to real problems. Competency-Based Education (CBE) is the wall we are now called to rebuild, and for it to stand, School Management Committees (SMCs), the Ministry of Education and other policymakers must learn the same principles Nehemiah lived by.
Honest inspection has to come before any real action. Nehemiah walked the wall himself to see where it had fallen. In education, that means admitting where 8-4-4 left us weak in skills, creativity, technical training and continuous assessment.
Changing the syllabus alone will not change outcomes. SMCs must visit classrooms, look at learners’ projects and portfolios, and ask whether a child can actually do something with what they have learned. The Ministry must collect data not just on enrolment and exam results, but on skills, transition to TVET and industry, and how well schools are equipped. You cannot rebuild what you refuse to see clearly.
Shared ownership is what made Jerusalem’s wall rise. Nehemiah did not rebuild alone. Priests, goldsmiths, perfumers and families each repaired the section closest to their home. CBC will only succeed if every stakeholder takes responsibility for their part.
SMCs must move beyond fundraising for classrooms and desks to budgeting for science kits, art materials, sports gear and internet that make competence possible. The Ministry and Treasury must learn to release capitation early and in full, and to audit how it improves learning, not just infrastructure. Teachers need continuous, school-based training to become facilitators rather than lecturers. Parents must shift from asking only, “How many As did you get?” to asking, “What problem can you solve?” When each group works on the section nearest to them, the whole system rises together.
Perseverance and accountability
Perseverance in the face of criticism and old habits is also required. Nehemiah faced mockers who said the work would never stand. CBC faces the same. 8-4-4 created a culture that worships ranking and national exams, and there will be pressure to turn competence into another high-stakes test.
Policymakers must learn to measure growth instead of positions, to value a learner who can weld, code, farm smart or lead a team just as much as one who scores highly on paper. SMCs must protect teachers from too many non-teaching duties and create time for projects, talent development and practical learning. Without that protection, the wall will be built and abandoned again.
Reform must be built with both a tool and a weapon. The people of Jerusalem worked with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Education needs the same balance. We must build curriculum, assessment and infrastructure, while also guarding against corruption, delayed funds and policy inconsistency.
KNEC, KICD, TSC and the Ministry must align so that what is taught is what is assessed and what is funded. Counties and schools must align bursaries and facilities to the pathways learners choose. Faith and prayer have a place, and Nehemiah prayed constantly, but he also kept records, assigned duties and set timelines. CBC needs that same combination of values and disciplined execution.
Leadership by presence
It is good to set up commissions for findings and implementation. Reports and taskforces help us diagnose problems. But it is best to have the right people in the right positions who can visit the field and keep checks and measures on those assigned to run our schools.
Leadership by presence matters. We have seen it before. Thanks to the former Education Officer Fredrick Mwango, who could inspect even the relevant shaving of a teacher. We also remember former Education CSs Prof George Magoha and Dr Fred Matiang’i, who walked their talk before, during and after the discharge of their education duties during their tenure. They did not delegate inspection to papers. They went to schools, asked hard questions and held people accountable. That is the Nehemiah spirit CBC needs today.
The ruins of Jerusalem were rebuilt because leaders had a vision, gave people ownership and stayed the course. Kenya’s move from 8-4-4 to CBC is not just a change of books. It is a change of mindset.
READ ALSO: Community rallies behind 28 Nandi students as they begin university journey
If School Management Committees learn to govern for skills, if the Ministry learns to fund and assess differently, and if all of us learn to trust teachers, parents and learners as partners, then we can have an education system that prepares young people for work, for service and for solving problems in their communities. Like Jerusalem, our schools can rise again. It will take Nehemiah-like leadership to make it happen.
By Enock Okong’o
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
>>> Click here to stay ahead with the latest national news.
