The government has moved to assure education stakeholders that the transition for Grade 10 students will be smooth. 

Deputy Director of Education Nelson Sifuna said retooling of teachers is ongoing, and it will help them acquire skills to handle the new curriculum in high schools. 

Speaking in Murang’a when he graced the prize-giving event at Pioneer school, Sifuna gave the government’s commitment to ensuring the uptake of Competency-Based Education will have no hitches. 

“The preparations for the transition are in top gear, but we have laid down all the necessary measures and we expect no major hitches,” he said. 

The director said that as part of the preparations, all the high school principals will be having a two-day conference in Mombasa starting today. 

The meeting, he said, will bring on board other stakeholders who will provide the technical advice to the teachers on how to welcome the grade 10 students. 

“The conference will be to prepare the principals for the new admissions, and we also provide a chance to look into the gaps which might have been overlooked,” remarked the director. 

He emphasised that the shift from the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to Competence Based Education (CBE) is meant to equip the learners with more skills and allow them to explore their talents. 

He added that the CBE is more refined compared to the CBC as it targets a specific strength of a child, and it presents more learning opportunities. 

“The curriculum-based education will allow our children to develop their talents and shape responsible citizens who will contribute to society positively, regardless of their grades in their final exams,” he said 

“Even in the co-curricular activities, we have included chess and scrabble as part of the activities the students can take part in and go to the international level because we have children who are excellent in these games,” he remarked. 

Sifuna also said the government will be collaborating with private schools to ensure uniformity in the rollout of the new syllabus. 

He noted that some of the private institutions have gone a step ahead by offering courses such as aviation, which prepare the students for opportunities when they complete their studies. 

“This particular institution, I have learnt, has produced over 300 commercial pilots, and it’s a clear indication that the CBE can indeed work and it’s the way to go,” he added. 

The school’s proprietor and chairman, Dr Peter Munga, on his part, urged the government to consider including the institution in the list of selected schools, as the school had shown the capability to provide the three pathways in education as required by the Ministry of Education.   

He said the school has positioned itself as a trailblazer in preparing students for future careers, even at the global level.