Inside CBC: The Transition to Senior Secondary (Grade 10)

Inside CBC: The Transition to Senior Secondary (Grade 10).

The transition to senior secondary school is a crucial phase for the Pioneer CBC cohort, who are currently in junior secondary school. As they prepare to move into senior school in 2026, they will need to select pathways aligned with their future aspirations.

This decision is set to be made during the second term of the academic year. With the first term nearing its end, schools are wrapping up exams before closing for the break, paving the way for the next steps in the placement process.

Criteria for Grade 10 Placement

Several factors will influence the placement of learners in Grade 10:

• Learner’s Choice: This depends on the subjects they have already undertaken in junior secondary and their preferred school.
• Academic Performance: A merit-based system will be applied, using a weighted evaluation comprising 20% from the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), 20% from school-based assessments conducted in Grades 7 and 8, and 60% from the final Grade 9 summative assessment.
• Aptitude and Talent Assessments: Psychometric tests will gauge learners’ aptitude and interests, while talent identification will be conducted by both the school and the national examination council.
• Regional Balancing: To ensure equitable distribution, regional considerations will be factored into the selection.
• School Capacity: Availability of space and resources in the selected institutions will also be a key determinant in placement.

Career Guidance and School Selection

To assist learners in making informed decisions, career guidance and counseling sessions will be conducted. These will involve teachers, parents, and guardians through workshops, leadership programs, and extracurricular activities.

Learners will be required to choose 12 schools based on their preferred pathways:

• First Choice Pathway: Seven schools
• Second Choice Pathway: Three schools
• Third Choice Pathway: Two schools

Of these, nine will be boarding schools—four within the learner’s home county and five outside. The remaining three will be day schools within their home county.

School Types and Pathway Availability

All selected schools must offer at least two pathways. Senior schools are categorized as either day schools or hybrid institutions, which provide both boarding and day schooling options. Some schools will offer all three available pathways, while others will have only two.

Additionally, vocational schools cater to students following a stage-based educational approach, while special needs institutions serve learners with visual, hearing, or physical impairments. These schools aim to equip students with essential lifelong skills.

As this transition progresses, numerous questions and uncertainties persist. To discuss these challenges in detail, Dr. Emmanuel Manasa, Executive Director of USA Agenda, joins the discussion for further insights.

Challenges in the CBC Transition to Senior School

Dr. Emanuel Manyasa, Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, highlighted several gaps in the transition of Grade 9 learners to senior school under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). While he acknowledged the Ministry’s efforts in providing transition guidelines, he emphasized the need for revisions to address existing challenges before implementation.

Issues with Pathway Availability

One major concern is the requirement that all schools offer at least two academic pathways. While this should be the long-term goal, Manyasa argued that it is unrealistic for immediate implementation. Many sub-county schools lack the necessary resources, such as STEM teachers and laboratories.

Forcing these schools to adopt STEM pathways now would set students up for failure, especially in subjects where they have historically underperformed. Instead, he suggested allowing some schools to focus solely on humanities until they can be upgraded to accommodate STEM subjects.

Insufficient Planning and Overcrowding in STEM Schools

Manyasa pointed out that CBC was implemented without a properly costed plan, resulting in foundational challenges. The government’s target of having over 60% of students in STEM could lead to overcrowding in the few schools that can currently support it.

He proposed an incremental approach that gradually builds capacity rather than rushing implementation.

Questioning the Use of KPSEA Scores in Placement

Another critical issue is the 20% weight given to the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in determining placement into Grade 10. Manyasa argued that it is unfair to let a child’s performance at age 12 dictate their future academic path. Moreover, there are students who did not sit for KPSEA, raising questions about how their placement will be handled.

To address this, he proposed that 80% of the final grade be based on the terminal exam at the end of Grade 9, while 20% comes from school-based assessments. Over time, as the reliability of internal assessments improves, this ratio could be adjusted.

Reliability of School-Based Assessments

Concerns were also raised regarding the fairness of school-based assessments, which are marked by teachers who might face external pressures from parents and school administrators. While these assessments are standardized, teachers’ involvement in marking creates potential conflicts of interest.

Manyasa suggested starting with a lower contribution from school-based assessments and gradually increasing it as reliability is established.

Risks in Teacher-Led Pathway Selection

Teachers are expected to assess students and guide them into appropriate pathways, but several risks arise from this responsibility. Many newly recruited STEM teachers may not have had enough time to understand their students’ abilities.

Additionally, teachers could face pressure from parents or even manipulate placements based on school quotas, as some institutions limit the number of students admitted from the same junior school. To prevent potential abuse, Manyasa called for checks and mechanisms to ensure fairness in the selection process.

Readiness of Learners to Choose Pathways

Manyasa questioned whether students are ready to make such a significant academic decision, given the lack of adequate career guidance in public schools. While private schools have established structures for career counseling, most public junior schools have not been able to facilitate meaningful engagement between teachers, students, and parents.

The shortage of career teachers further compounds this issue. He proposed training career counselors in junior schools to work with students from Grade 7 onwards, ensuring that by Grade 9, learners and their parents are well-informed.

Policy and Infrastructure Solutions

To improve the transition process, Manyasa recommended refining the guidelines to remove vague or problematic provisions, such as the unclear requirement that day scholars must “maintain the school’s standard.” He also urged the government to reconsider the rigid STEM target and instead allow natural distribution of student interests before committing to specific quotas.

A more long-term proposal involved reallocating funds from the controversial housing levy to a school development levy. This redirection of resources could finance the expansion of infrastructure, including laboratories and classrooms in sub-county schools. By strengthening local schools, students would have better access to quality education without the intense competition for limited spots in national schools.

Equity and Resource Allocation

The issue is not only about categorization but also about how resources are distributed. It would be more effective to ensure that every school is well-equipped to cater to all learners, whether they pursue STEM, Arts, or Social Sciences. Instead of dictating percentages, competency should guide students toward their strengths. CBC, in theory, is a good curriculum, but its effectiveness depends on the availability of human and material resources. The reality is that many Kenyan parents struggle to afford basic education, making the costly CBC implementation impractical.

The disparity in resource allocation is evident. Schools in urban centers like Moi Avenue Primary in Nairobi are better equipped, while rural schools in Nyandarua lack essential infrastructure and trained teachers. Since assessments are school-based, unqualified teachers are responsible for evaluating students, leading to inconsistent education quality. As a result, many students will complete junior secondary education with little to show for it.

Financial and Structural Feasibility

CBC is unaffordable for many parents. In the past, the 8-4-4 system provided a more level playing field between rural and urban students. Today, CBC demands costly materials that rural students cannot access. Parents now spend more on books than they previously did on school fees, making education financially burdensome. While proponents argue that education should be an equalizer, the current implementation of CBC has made it exclusionary.

There are two potential solutions: Either simplify the curriculum to align with national affordability, ensuring it benefits all students, or significantly increase government funding to bridge the resource gap.

Investing properly in education means allocating funds transparently and ensuring equitable access to quality learning for every child. If necessary, budget cuts in other sectors should be made to prioritize education. Children are the nation’s future, and it is unacceptable to compromise their learning experience.

Read Also: CBC Transition Drive: Ministry Launches Nationwide Initiative to Boost STEM Enrollment

Conclusion

The assumption that pathways like Arts and Social Sciences can be adequately taught in under-equipped day schools is flawed. Some of these schools lack essential resources, and expecting students to learn arts under a tree reflects a misunderstanding of the field’s complexity. Furthermore, the decision to allocate 60% of students to STEM lacks clear justification.

There is no data indicating that the majority of students in Grade 7-9 have a strong preference for STEM. Was this based on economic forecasts, or was it an arbitrary choice? University placement data contradicts this strategy, showing that most students gravitate towards Social Sciences, Arts, and Sports.

Manyasa warned that failure to address these transition challenges could result in a chaotic system, defeating the purpose of shifting from the 8-4-4 curriculum to CBC. He urged swift action to ensure that schools, teachers, and students are adequately prepared, thereby fostering a smoother and fairer transition to senior school.

Inside CBC: The Transition to Senior Secondary (Grade 10).

Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at [email protected].