Guidelines on re-categorisation of schools
Guidelines on re-categorisation of schools
Guidelines on re-categorisation of schools
According to the Ministry of Education, guidelines for reclassifying secondary schools in preparation for senior school will be released soon.
Beatrice Inyangala, the principal secretary for higher education, declared on Monday that the government will shortly release regulations defining the senior school classification system.
Every senior in high school must choose a pathway from STEM, the creative arts, sports science, and social sciences. Dr. Inyangala stated that the selection process will take into account the skills, interests, and career choices of the students.
The PS gave a speech at the 60th edition of the Kenya Science and Engineering Fair at Moi Girls School in Nairobi on behalf of Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
One of the shortcomings facing the rollout, according to Inyangala, is that the government has raised money for the construction of 15,000 classrooms for Grade 9 students the following year.
“This therefore calls for adequate preparations by the senior schools to ensure that the correct systems are in place and teachers are retooled to usher in the first cohort of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC),” she stated.
Secondary school reclassification will make way for the introduction of a new, three-tiered system that is in line with CBC.
The adjustments are made in anticipation of the CBC pioneer class, which is currently enrolled in Grade 8, being admitted to senior secondary school in 2026.
The Education Ministry reports that school mapping has started and will be finished by the following year, with only eighteen months to go before the transition.
Three new categories will take the place of the traditional ones, as disclosed by Dr. Kipsang on Wednesday of last week.
These are schools of humanities and arts, schools of creative arts and sports, and centers for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The PS stated that schools will probably provide a mix of the three streams, enabling students to choose from a wider choice of courses.
The specifics of the modifications have not yet been made public as stakeholders in education meet this week to discuss the expected senior school transfer at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
KICD Chief Executive Officer Charles Ong’ondo on Wednesday said preparation of senior school material will begin in December.
“So they have the whole of 2025 to acclimatise with them,” Ong’ondo stated.
The changes will also apply to the assessments given at the conclusion of Grade 9, which will decide a student’s placement in one of the three new categories.
In order to prepare for transition, students will take a written test similar to the KCPE. This test, along with assessments in the classroom, will help students choose which senior school to enroll in.
“As we reflect on Grade 9 and the type of assessment we will have, let’s keep in mind that the assessment is not for placement but for pathways,” Kipsang stated.
He added that although the test will be important, the merit-based admissions process that once guided students into national schools will no longer exist.
