This year, Kenya’s basic education has begun a historic phase as the pioneer cohort of 1.13 million learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system joins senior school.
The government, as part of its 100 percent transition agenda, has intensified efforts to admit learners to schools through initiatives such as Junior Secondary School capitation, expansion of bursary schemes, re-admission drives for absent learners, and, recently, the deployment of local chiefs to ensure all school-age children are in school.
According to reports from the Ministry of Education, as of January 25, 92 percent of Grade 10 students had enrolled in senior school.
Unfortunately, this leaves out about eight percent of students, primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds, who continue to face delays due to unpaid fees or long commutes to their assigned schools.
To understand what we must do now to make this new system work, we need to start by examining the pitfalls of our previous 8-4-4 system, because those who do not look at history are doomed to repeat it. For decades, the 8-4-4 system served as the backbone of our education. It was structured, standardised, and focused on producing academically disciplined graduates.
A major challenge of the curriculum was that it left little room for innovation, creativity, or individual learner interests. This pigeonholed many children whose aptitude, interests, and abilities lie in vocational education, the arts, sports, and other non-traditional careers.
We often forget that curriculum is the vehicle which empowers citizens with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary for personal and national development.
The 8-4-4 system played its role in pushing Kenya into the 21st century. However, as the world transitions into a future shaped by artificial intelligence, creative industries, sports, entrepreneurship, and green economies, where problem-solving and critical thinking are prerequisites, the shift to CBE marked a bold and confident step for Kenya.
As we move towards transforming our education system, we must embrace the power of co-creating with different stakeholders.
It is important to applaud the efforts of the Ministry of Education in implementing the CBE, which has allowed learners to choose pathways aligned with their interests, whether academic, technical, creative, or sporting. This is an important step towards co-creation.
When it comes to shaping the future of education, engaging students and youth in co-creating the education they want is essential to meeting their aspirations and ambitions, and to creating a system that works.
Strategic partnerships with private institutions are also crucial.
For many young Kenyans, especially those in informal settlements, arid regions, and refugee-hosting communities, there is an urgent need for accessible education pathways. This is where private foundations and institutions can step in to support the government, through the Ministry of Education, to ensure that the 100 percent transition policy becomes a lived reality for the youth.
For the first time, our education system has formally recognised that young people are not identical, and that their aspirations and talents should shape their learning journeys.
As we continue to develop this curriculum, there is a need to involve youth more meaningfully to achieve true co-creation and build a sustainable education system.
Across the country, foundations such as The Family Group Foundation with the Tufuzu na Elimu high school education scholarships programme for bright students from vulnerable backgrounds is already demonstrating what co-creation can look like in practice through issuing scholarships, offering mentorship, building digital hubs where learners acquire coding and digital literacy skills, and enabling youth to explore their interests.
In doing so, these initiatives move beyond supporting access to education and actively involve young people in shaping what they learn, how they learn, and how their talents are nurtured.
As we work to enroll the remaining learners transitioning to Grade 10, it is clear that to address both the challenges and opportunities ahead, we must build an education system with co-creation at its center, co-creating with youth, government, and the private sector.
John Waimiri is the Executive Director at The Family Group Foundation