Challenges Junior Schools Face ahead of Rollout of Grade 8
Challenges Junior Schools Face ahead of Rollout of Grade 8
On October 26, the last day of classes, schools will be closed formally. The competency-based curriculum (CBC) will have been used by learners in Grade Seven for one full year.We examine the development and standard of instruction in this newest area of the educational system as students go into Grade Eight in January.
Around 7,500 bachelor’s-degreed teachers who were formerly employed in primary schools were transferred to junior secondary schools by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). These figures are still insufficient, though. For instance, James Koinet, a teacher in Kajiado County, was required to instruct a variety of courses for which he had not been initially prepared. posing difficulties for both educators and students. To solve the problem, more teachers were required.
In January 2024, teachers like James Koinet could run into a problem despite their admirable efforts.when they will have to instruct students in both Grades Seven and Eight.They are also worried about contract extensions.These instructors’ situation is similar to that of hundreds of other freshly hired government employees who were sent to junior high schools.These schools clearly lack trained instructors for subjects like pre-technical skills.
Even though the government first hired 36,000 instructors on one-year contracts, there weren’t enough of them to staff the 19,038 public schools with junior school licenses.An extra 20,000 teachers were sent out later in September. The TSC intends to retrain instructors to handle subject-specific requirements.
Despite praise for the teachers’ efforts, schools still lack the necessary number of teachers for each topic.Government reports indicate a rising need for junior school teachers, but the reality is very different from what is desired.
Concerns about the quality of instruction in public junior high schools and whether it adheres to CBC goals have been voiced by several professionals. They contend that better planning and a more controlled approach to implementation were required.
Private primary schools appear to have adapted to the rules more successfully, casting doubt on how well the public education system has implemented the CBC.Students’ readiness for STEM fields may be impacted by this disparity.
Another problem influencing the standard of instruction in junior high schools is inadequate teacher preparation.The abrupt transfer to junior high without enough teacher preparation is seen as a serious issue. The distribution of teachers among schools was uneven and didn’t take expertise into account.
Concerns have been raised by experts about the lack of educators qualified to teach the humanities and other topics.The educational environment is further complicated by the fact that some junior schools have asked surrounding senior secondary schools for assistance.
There are many instructors who are falling behind in covering the curriculum, and there is worry that the workload from Grade Seven may continue into Grade Eight.These difficulties have been exacerbated by delays in the distribution of teaching and learning materials.
To ensure the junior secondary school system’s successful implementation, several challenges must be addressed.to achieve the educational objectives outlined in the CBC. It is obvious that considerable obstacles must be overcome for the junior school system to be implemented successfully.The main areas of concern are teacher preparation, subject-specific knowledge, and resource allocation.
