The Ministry of Education has been urged to fully implement the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) policy to ensure learners can fully benefit from the education system.

On Thursday, the National Assembly’s Committee on Education expressed concerns that the CBC rollout is still disadvantaging students in public schools, which have not received adequate financial and infrastructural support from the government.

With the first group of CBC students set to transition to senior school in just one year, marking the end of the curriculum's first phase, concerns are growing. "The resolution to ensure that every primary school in Kenya has a junior school has not been executed. This is troubling because it was passed by the National Assembly, and all resolutions must be implemented," stated Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku.


MPs also highlighted the long distances some students must travel to reach junior schools in areas lacking them. They are calling on the government to equip public school learners for science and technology subjects. "Many of our constituencies lack the necessary laboratories. In my constituency, we have neither labs nor teaching aids. It's frustrating to implement a curriculum without the required resources," Ruku added.

Marakwet MP Timothy Kipchumba pointed out, "In my constituency, 26 public schools have no power supply, yet we know ICT is crucial to the CBC."

The absence of specific governance policies for schools under the CBC has left educators struggling with staffing issues. Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia highlighted the difficulties teachers face, stating, "Without a policy document from the Ministry of Education defining a comprehensive school for junior secondary, we have been shifting subjects around without clarity on teacher assignments."

Despite these challenges, the Ministry of Education insists it is making progress with plans for the transition next year, guided by existing policy frameworks for the CBC. "For the first time in 2018, we developed a framework for the CBC, which was absent during the 8-4-4 system," said Education PS Belio Kipsang. He noted that this framework has undergone revisions over time, particularly regarding learning areas.

The Ministry has also been called to provide clear guidelines on financing for both junior and senior school education and to ensure that students continue to benefit from school feeding programs.