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The new academic year for primary and secondary school starts today as learners move to the next level in their education.

It comes with rationalised learning areas under Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), as the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) recommended.

Yesterday, it was a last minute rush for parents and children as they prepared to go back to school, amidst complaints of high cost of living.

As schools resume, Education Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang said the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), in consultation with the Ministry, rationalized learning areas from Pre-Primary (PP) to junior school, with those of senior school still underway.

The PWPER report called for rationalization of learning areas and curriculum designs in terms of scope and integration of subjects within learning areas, gaps, content overload and overlaps in basic education.

Senior schools

“Revised curriculum designs for the rationalized learning areas will be available in the KICD website from January and will be distributed to schools in the course of the first term. Guidelines on senior schools shall be released during the first term,” said Kipsang.

In a circular dated December 20 to all Regional, County and Sub-County Directors of Education, Kipsang directed them to inform primary and junior schools’ head teachers in their areas of jurisdiction and ensure that this is implemented when schools reopen in January.

The taskforce report recommended that Pre-Primary learning areas should not exceed five, lower primary (Grade 1-3) subjects should not exceed seven, upper primary (Grade 4-6) should not exceed eight, junior school (Grade 7-9) should not be more than nine while senior school (Grade 10-12) should not exceed seven.

At PP1 and PP2, the PS said the subjects are currently five and will remain as they are, in consistency with the recommendations.

At this level, the learners will have 25 lessons per week, which include five for Language, Mathematics and Environmental Activities, respectively, six lessons for Creative Activities, three for Religious Activities and one for Pastoral/Religious Instruction programme.

At Grade 1-3 or lower primary, Kipsang said the learning areas have been reduced from the current nine to seven and lessons reduced from 35 to 31 per week, including Pastoral Programme of Instruction (PPI). For upper primary (Grade 4-6), learning areas have been reduced from10 to eight, with the number of lessons now at 35 from the previous 40 per week, including Pastoral/Religious Programme of Instruction. At junior school, comprising Grade 7 – 9, learning areas have been reduced from 14 to nine and are compulsory.

Support materials

“All the nine core subjects shall be taken by all learners,” Kipsang said.

The number of lessons has been reduced from 45 to 40 per week including PPI.

KICD Chief Executive Officer, Prof Charles Ong’ondo said the institute is guided by the vision of ‘A Skilled and Ethical Society’ and the desire to provide quality and globally competitive curricula and curriculum support materials that facilitate nurturing of every learner’s potential through CBC.

“The rationalization of the number of learning areas and curriculum designs addressed the scope and integration of subjects within learning areas, gaps, content overload and overlaps,” said Ong’ondo. Schools open amidst growing concerns over their financial status and the struggle for head teachers and principals to meet basic resourcing needs.

State House Spokesperson, Hussein Mohamed, however, said last week that the National Treasury has released Sh31.34 billion, in readiness for a new school term. He said the Department for Basic Education will receive Sh4.74 billion for first term’s Free Primary Education (FPE) and another Sh7.6 billion for Junior Secondary School (JSS).

“In preparation for school opening next week, the National Treasury today (Wednesday) released Sh31.34 billion,” said Mohamed, in a statement posted in X, formerly Twitter.

The Government released Sh2.80 billion for school examination and invigilation fees. But as the term begins, the JSS teachers are not at ease.

The over JSS teachers have maintained that they will not report to duty as the new term commences. The teachers decried the fact that their grievances have been ignored but insisted they will keep pushing to be absorbed on a permanent and pensionable basis.

A Nairobi JSS teacher, John Melvin led his colleagues in asking the Government to stop politicizing education and do things the right way.

“Teachers are complaining about employment and should be confirmed. We have issued an official notice to Teachers Service Commission on the strike and we are not reporting to any learning institution even if we are coerced to whatever extent. We are aware that they have been threatening us with deregistration but we will not subject ourselves to that coercion and intimidation,” said Melvin. The teachers complained of efforts to suppress them from raising their issues, saying that a demonstration that was to be held last Thursday could not take off because they did not get a permit.