Over 60,000 Junior School teachers trained as Kenya prepares for Senior Secondary
Grade 9 learners will be placed in personalized learning pathways that cater to their strengths, needs, and interests instead of following fixed age or grade-level standards.
More than 229,000 teachers from both public and private schools have undergone training to effectively implement the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework.
This comes as the government prepares for the transition of learners from Junior Secondary to Senior Secondary next year.
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The training progress was highlighted during the National Dialogue on Education Quality and Learning Outcomes in Kericho.
It was revealed that 60,642 Junior School teachers and 1,200 teacher training college tutors have completed intensive training to ensure a smooth rollout of the curriculum.
Speaking at the event, Director of Education John Ongosi stressed that teachers must be ICT-compliant to facilitate online learning, live-stream lessons, and integrate technology into teaching.
He also disclosed that the government intends to introduce virtual laboratories to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education as Junior Secondary students advance to Grade 10 in 2026.
Participants at the forum were also informed about the CBE guidelines on the selection, placement, and admission of learners to various categories of Senior Schools across the country.
Grade 9 learners will be placed in personalized learning pathways that cater to their strengths, needs, and interests instead of following fixed age or grade-level standards.
Senior School students will specialize in one of three pathways: Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, or STEM. Placement in Grade 10 will be determined by student choice, merit, psychometric testing, equity, and available school capacity.
“There will be fairness for all learners; they will all have an opportunity to choose a pathway. There will be triple-pathway Senior Schools specializing in STEM, Arts and Sports Science, and Social Sciences. Additionally, there will be double-pathway Senior Schools focusing on STEM and Arts and Sports Science,” Ongosi stated.
He added that learners in Grades 10 to 12 will take seven subjects, including four core subjects English, Kiswahili, Community Service Learning, and Physical Education—along with three subjects based on their chosen pathway.
Stakeholders were also briefed on the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), a continuous system for tracking learner progress.
Ongosi explained that assessments would use a variety of methods such as tests, quizzes, rating scales, portfolios, and oral or written questions to evaluate student knowledge and skills.
“The assessment methods and tools are varied to address different learners’ needs, including tests, observation schedules, questions and answers, checklists, quizzes, rubrics, journals, portfolios, learner profiles, anecdotal records, oral or aural questions, questionnaires, rating scales, and projects,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kericho County Director of Education Julius Ngoneshi confirmed that 55 new classrooms for Grade 9 students were already in use, with another 160 nearing completion at 99 per cent.
“Phase III of the construction has been allocated 21 classrooms, procurement has been done, and we are waiting for funding from the World Bank. In Phase IV, we are building seven classrooms, which are at 50 per cent completion. In total, we will have 323 new classrooms for Junior Secondary Schools,” Ngoneshi added.
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