The pioneer learners of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) are now in Grade 8 in Junior Schools, domiciled in Primary Schools, currently known as Comprehensive Schools.
In 2025, learners in Grade 8 will edge to Grade 9, which is a last lap in Junior School. Then, in 2026, current secondary schools in 8-4-4 System will become Senior Schools as spelt out in Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF 2019) and Report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (RPWPER).
At Senior School, there will be three Career Pathways: Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM), Arts and Sports Science and Social Sciences.
In the recent past, there was a highly heated debate about where Junior School would be domiciled. At that time, the late Prof George Magoha was the Cabinet Secretary of Education. Somehow, as people were casting aspersions on CBC supplanting 8-4-4 System, he became a bit blunt about it. In his usual confident mien, he stated that the train had left the station, and there was no turning back. Forward ever. backward never. So, in the bid to domicile Junior Schools in the current secondary schools, some classrooms were built post-haste.
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In retrospect, when the plausible plan of domiciling Junior School in secondary schools flopped, the new classrooms came in handy in fixing the chilling challenge of the ballooning population of learners attributed to 100% Transition Policy from Primary to Secondary Schools. Conversely, schools with low enrollment, maybe, did not make use of ‘Magoha’s classrooms’.
Therefore, I suggest. Instead of building more classrooms for learners in Junior School, it will be wise to use the readily available ones.
Being an education consultant in over 40 counties across the country, I am commenting on the collective clamor of head honchos of some secondary schools.
They are ready to adjust and receive Grade 9 learners as the government puts its act together on how to handle CBC teething troubles. Then, still abutting on the issue of availability of classrooms in secondary schools, in 2025, there will be no admission of newbies in Form Ones in secondary schools. Meaning, next year, there will be empty classrooms in secondary schools.
Therefore, to augment my argument: Why should we build new classrooms for Grade 9 learners in Junior Schools when we have vacant ones in secondary schools? Will the move make economic sense? Are we not going to be profligate? In addition, most education stakeholders know, our Junior Schools domiciled in Comprehensive Schools should have well-built integrated laboratories to facilitate learning of Integrated Science as a Learning Area in CBC.
But due to lack of science laboratories, this posed a challenge. Therefore, lack of labs for learners in Junior Schools supports the good idea of domiciling Grade 9 in secondary schools, poised to become Senior Schools. When we wend that way, we will just upgrade the readily available science labs. Then, everything will be hunky-dory.
Lastly, most Junior School suffers from acute teacher-shortage. It is teachers on internship who have been working therein. Actually, these tutors implementing the curriculum in Junior Schools were initially trained to teach in secondary schools. Some of them have been slow to adjust.
Through it all, MoE and TSC has tried to equip them with transferable skills through retooling in non-formal education settings in form of seminars and workshops. Now, Junior Schools have two classes — Grade 7 and 8. Yet, there is a serious teacher-shortage. So, how will it be next year when they will have Grades 7, 8 and 9? Advisedly, in case we domicile Grade 9 in secondary schools, the situation may be manageable. It will be easier to retool teachers in secondary schools to teach Grade 9 content.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer rolls out talks and training services in schools.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232.
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