Latest Education News: Funding model for schools changed, and all teachers trained in sign language
Under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), students will have a second opportunity to select what they want to study in Senior Secondary school within two months of enrollment.
Simultaneously, the government has announced that it would create a novel funding model for senior high school, which will go into effect in January when the first CBC cohort moves from junior to senior secondary school.
The ‘Final County Dialogue Report 2025′ provides the specifics.
The paper offers a thorough assessment of the implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in Kenya, taking into account stakeholder input from all 47 counties.
According to the plan, students in high school will be supported financially based on their course of study.
Due to the high cost of teaching technical and scientific topics, this may indicate that institutions that do so receive more funding.
According to the report, “the government is creating a Senior School Funding Model for Grade 10 to rationalize funding per student based on pathway requirements.”
Additionally, the ministry will cap the number of pupils from the same junior school who may enroll in the same senior boarding school to five.
This regulation will not, however, be applicable in counties with a small number of senior schools, particularly in underserved communities.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has stated that it intends to implement a formal career counseling curriculum in Grade 7.
The goal of this is to enable students to choose their Senior Secondary school subjects more wisely.
Additionally, in a potential victory for private schools, the schools will now be listed on the selection portal, which students may use to choose whether or not they want to enroll.
This will replicate the University selection criteria that give students the option of attending a public or private institution.
It is unclear, though, if students who opt for private schools will receive the same capitation funding as their peers in public schools.
The study has urged that Kenya Sign Language be made compulsory in teacher education, in what may be a significant shift in how teachers are trained.
This implies that throughout their training, all instructors will be required to learn KSL.
This is due to the scarcity of instructors for students with special needs, according to the report.
The report states, “To assist pupils with hearing impairments, include Kenyan Sign Language as a key skill in all teacher training.”
The scarcity of teachers in several learning disciplines was also a topic of worry for stakeholders.
They singled out specific areas of study, such as pre-technical studies, special needs education (SNE), and music in the creative arts.
Furthermore, courses like vocational and technical education, which demanded specialist knowledge, were shown to be severely understaffed.
The government is currently suggesting the creation of a policy to assist private schools in gaining access to government-provided instructional resources, which may also be a significant victory for them.
This agreement will provide significant savings to private schools on textbook purchases and lessen the financial burden on parents.
“Create a mechanism that subsidizes private schools’ access to government-provided learning resources,” the report reads.
Stakeholders in private schools believe that they are “often excluded from government textbook distribution programs,” and this choice reflects that sentiment.
The evaluation of institution readiness to support senior school students has also been suggested by the report.
This follows complaints from several stakeholders that many schools lacked the necessary teachers, classrooms, labs, or resources to provide STEM, arts, and social sciences.
The audit will address infrastructure gaps, support the transfer to Senior School, and inform pathway specialization.
The report recommends prioritizing a nationwide audit of school readiness for pathway implementation, covering facilities, staffing, and instructional resources.
Additionally, the report advocates for the enhancement of the career counseling services.
This occurs following stakeholders’ observation that students are inclined to make decisions about their career paths and academic subjects “too early, especially at the Senior School level.”
The need for well-informed decisions was suggested by parents and teachers’ recommendation that students be allowed to explore before making any choices.
The report contends that a planned strategy for guidance and counseling will enable students to make well-informed decisions.
In addition, the report has suggested that the government should invest in digital technology and infrastructure, particularly in rural and underprivileged schools.
Solar-powered laboratories and mobile ICT devices will be among them.
This occurs after stakeholders noted that many schools lack computers, internet connection, or electricity, particularly in isolated or rural locations.
The report now advocates the creation of a route for students to re-enter the system under CBC, making it a significant victory for dropouts as well.
Under CBC, this implies that students who previously studied under the 8-4-4 system but did not finish their education are now able to do so.
The plan calls for KICD to create a CBC Pathway for adult learners.
“Align adult learning programs with CBC principles and establish organized re-entry routes for out-of-school youth and adult learners,” the report states.
