Majority of Senior Schools to Offer STEM Career Pathway for Grade 10 to 12 Students

Majority of Senior Schools to Offer STEM Career Pathway for Grade 10 to 12 Students

Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary of Basic Education, has announced that beginning in 2026, most Senior Schools will offer STEM as a career option for Grade 10 to 12 students. 

Currently, there are up to 11,000 Senior Schools nationwide. He indicated that the majority of these institutions will focus on pure sciences, in line with the current 8-4-4 structure. 

Belio highlighted the importance of improving their scientific skills.

Belio presided over a stakeholder engagement session on Senior School and Teacher Education on Wednesday at Nairobi’s Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. 

He explained that Senior Schools will provide three career paths: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); social sciences (humanities); and performing arts, music, and athletics.

The ministry intends for each Senior School to provide at least two career options for Grade 10 to 12 students, in an effort to maximize existing funding. 

Belio emphasized the economic value of diversifying pathways inside schools. He suggested that certain national schools may provide up to three professional paths.

Belio emphasized that many schools have already built expertise in the humanities and STEM fields. The ministry’s focus will be on strengthening schools’ ability to maintain these routes. 

Notably, schools known for their sports and arts programs, such as St. Patrick’s Boys Iten, will be supported in including athletics as a learning area in addition to typical sports activities.

The PS announced plans to retool instructors to guarantee that Grade 10 students receive a quality education. 

He expressed confidence in Grade 10’s readiness, citing ongoing stakeholder forums as part of the preparation work. Belio promised stakeholders that when the school system changes, they will be better prepared.

Committed To Implement CBC

Belio Kipsang reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is implemented smoothly.

According to Dr. Kipsang, the Ministry of Education would guarantee that learners are prepared with industry-relevant practical skills and abilities. He underlined that this would help students make a smooth transition to further education or the workforce.

Dr. Kipsang spoke at a stakeholders’ engagement on senior school and teacher education at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in Nairobi, which was attended by stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds.

The goal of the engagement was to discuss the senior school curriculum and the type of teacher preparation required for individuals who will administer the senior school system as part of the continuing education reform.

Dr. Kipsang emphasized that the education system has experienced transformations in response to the changing national and global sociopolitical, economic, industrial, and technical landscapes.

CBC implementation began in 2019 and is currently in Grade 8 of junior high school. In addition, state and private teacher training colleges provide competency-based diploma in teacher education programs at the early childhood development, primary, and secondary levels.

The government remains dedicated to providing quality, free, and compulsory basic education as required by the Constitution. Dr. Kipsang emphasized the need for curriculum revisions to prepare young Kenyans to succeed in a competitive, industrializing, and linked world.

He stressed that the Kenyan curriculum has to be consistent with multiple frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Kenya Vision 2030, the Kenyan Constitution of 2010, and the demands of 21st-century skills and methods.

Dr. Kipsang stated that the review at the primary education and junior school levels had ramifications for senior school and teacher education, as senior school serves as the gateway to university education and the workforce.

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He thanked stakeholders for their feedback on increasing educational quality and implementation, as well as their contributions to the progress and future goals of senior school and teacher education.

In 2022, President William Ruto founded the Presidential Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) to address significant educational concerns. PWPER’s proposals had a considerable impact on Basic Education and Teacher Education, prompting revisions of CBC at all levels.

Majority of Senior Schools to Offer STEM Career Pathway for Grade 10 to 12 Students

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