As learners settle into Grade 10 under Kenya's Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, one issue deserves urgent attention: the need to help parents understand the curriculum and their role in guiding their children's educational choices.
From my observations of Grade 10 learners, some appear to have entered Senior School with expectations shaped more by parental pressure and traditional beliefs about academic success than by a clear understanding of their own abilities and interests. This raises an important question: are we preparing our children for their future, or asking them to pursue the future we have chosen for them?
For decades, academic success was largely associated with examination marks, competitive school placement and admission to prestigious courses. While academic achievement remains important, CBE calls for a broader understanding of a learner's potential. It emphasises the development of competencies, the nurturing of talents and the application of knowledge and skills to real-life situations. Parents must therefore look beyond report cards and consider what their children can do, what interests them and which abilities deserve further development.
Three pathways, different opportunities
Senior School offers three broad career pathways: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Social Sciences; and Arts and Sports Science. Each provides opportunities for learners to develop their strengths and progress towards further education and careers through appropriate subject combinations.
STEM serves learners interested in scientific inquiry, mathematics, technology, engineering and practical problem-solving. Depending on their subject choices and subsequent qualifications, they may pursue fields such as engineering, medicine, computing, agriculture and environmental science.
Social Sciences caters for learners interested in languages, literature, history, geography, business and the study of society. With appropriate qualifications, these interests can lead to opportunities in education, law, communication, business, diplomacy and public administration.
Arts and Sports Science nurtures creative expression, music, dance, theatre, film, visual arts, physical education and sport. It can open opportunities in design, media production, performance, sports coaching and arts management, depending on the relevant training and qualifications.
Yet some parents continue to perceive STEM as the preferred destination for academically gifted learners, while regarding other pathways as less prestigious. Such assumptions can discourage children whose strengths lie elsewhere. STEM is an important pathway, but it is not the only pathway to success. The three pathways offer different opportunities for developing human potential, and none should be treated as a measure of a learner's intelligence or worth.
Understand the learner before choosing
Examination results are important, but they do not reveal every dimension of a child's potential. Some learners demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills, while others excel in creative expression, sport, practical activities or scientific investigation. These abilities deserve recognition and appropriate guidance.
Parents should consider their children's interests, demonstrated competencies, aptitude, personality and aspirations when discussing career choices. They should also investigate the subject combinations available and the qualifications required for careers that interest the learner.
Teachers and career guidance personnel can help families interpret assessment information, identify strengths and explore suitable options. A child interested in a particular profession should be encouraged to understand its demands, training requirements and possible progression routes. Career guidance should also recognise that interests can evolve as learners gain knowledge and experience. The goal is not to impose a fixed future but to help young people make informed decisions within the applicable curriculum and placement requirements.
Parents naturally want their children to enjoy fulfilling and secure futures. However, good intentions can become counterproductive when guidance turns into pressure. A parent may insist on medicine because it carries social prestige, despite a child's limited interest in science. Another may dismiss an interest in literature, design or sport because such careers are perceived as less rewarding. These decisions may be motivated by concern, but they risk overlooking the individual learner.
Children should be allowed to express their aspirations and participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their education. Parents should help them assess their interests realistically, examine available opportunities and understand the commitment required to succeed. This does not mean allowing children to make uninformed choices. It means combining their voices with parental experience, teachers' professional observations and reliable career information.
Research on CBE implementation in Kenya underscores the importance of communication and parental engagement. A 2025 critical review by Cherui and Kipkenei, published in the African Journal of Business, Economics and Industry, highlights the expanded role of parents in supporting learners' holistic development and the value of communication between families and teachers.
However, parents cannot provide informed guidance if they lack clear information about the curriculum. Parental sensitisation must therefore become a deliberate and sustained responsibility of schools and education authorities.
Career days should explain the three pathways, subject combinations and progression requirements. School open days and parent-teacher conferences should provide opportunities for families to ask questions about assessment, learner profiles, placement and career choices. Teachers can share observations about learners' competencies and areas requiring support, while parents can offer insights into interests and talents displayed at home.
The Ministry of Education, working with relevant curriculum, assessment and teacher-development agencies, should strengthen accessible parent-awareness programmes and ensure that information reflects current official guidance. Schools should also consider parents who face language or digital-access barriers. Career guidance must begin well before the transition to Grade 10, so that learners have enough time to explore their interests, understand their strengths and investigate possible careers before selecting subject combinations.
CBE cannot achieve its objectives through classroom instruction alone. Its success depends on informed parents, committed teachers, supportive school leadership and effective guidance from education authorities. Parents must be willing to understand a system that differs in important ways from the one they experienced. Schools must communicate clearly, while the Ministry must make public awareness a central part of curriculum implementation.
Our children do not need identical ambitions to achieve meaningful success. They need opportunities to develop their abilities, pursue their interests and prepare for further learning and productive participation in society. Let us stop asking which pathway is the best and begin asking which pathway best suits the learner.
When parents understand CBE, they become partners in its success. When they guide rather than dictate, they give their children the opportunity to discover their potential and build futures that reflect their abilities and aspirations.
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