President Ruto’s Team Unveils Revolutionary Education Reforms in Kenya
As the 8-4-4 shift acquires momentum, President William Ruto on Tuesday (1 August 2023) unveiled an ambitious plan with a slew of recommendations to reform the education system from pre-primary to tertiary levels.
Dr. Ruto was presented with the report by the Presidential Working Group on Education Reform (PWPER) at the State House in Nairobi. If fully implemented, the report, of which the President expressed pride, will fundamentally transform the entire education system. “I will lead the team that ensures the recommendations are implemented for the benefit of children and society,” he said.
The PWPER was appointed at the end of September of last year and traveled across the nation to collect public feedback. Its mandate expired at the end of March, but Dr. Ruto extended it until June 9, 2023, because the mission had not been completed.
Dr. Ruto stated, “The country is no longer unrestful because we have addressed all concerns about the future of our children.”
Prof. Raphael Munavu presided over the PWPER, and now that the task has been completed, the focus has shifted to implementing the recommendations. The document contains proposed legislative amendments that will require parliamentary action.
After the team proposed a reduction in the number of learning areas, elementary and junior secondary students will endure a lighter load.
“Stakeholders raised concerns about the high number of learning areas in primary and junior secondary schools; curriculum overload and overlap; the high cost of updating CBC passed on to parents; internet and electricity connectivity challenges that negatively affect digital literacy; and the low levels of literacy and numeracy for basic learning,” the report states.
PWPER suggests that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) reduce the number of learning areas from nine to seven for Grades One through Three, from twelve to eight for Grades Four through Six, and from fourteen to nine for Grades Seven through Nine.
There will be five learning areas in the pre-primary grades and seven in grades seven through twelve. The PWPER envisions a comprehensive school with pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary education on a single campus and administered as a single institution.
The term secondary will be removed from the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary designations. The report recommends the abolition of the classification of schools as national, extra-county, county, or sub-county and the reclassification of schools as day, boarding, mixed (day/boarding), mixed (boys/girls), and according to the pathways they will offer at senior secondary level to combat the fierce competition for places in secondary schools.
To embed community service learning — a key component of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) — the report suggests a program modeled after the defunct National Youth Service pre-university program of the 1980s.
Introduce a three-month mandatory community service program for high school graduates before they enter tertiary institutions, and a nine-month mandatory community service program upon completion of tertiary education. Before entering the workforce, a certificate of fulfillment of community service should be issued as proof of completion, according to the report.
The report suggests that the Ministry of Education (MoE) establish a dress code policy framework for all educational levels.
In response to stakeholders’ concerns regarding teacher qualifications for the implementation of the CBC, the report recommends that the Ministry of Education (MoE) develops guidelines mandating a one-year retooling and upgrading program for all teachers who graduated before 2023. This effectively includes both employed and unemployed educators.
The report states, “Given the gradual implementation of the CBC, the Ministry of Education and sector stakeholders must prioritize the retooling of teachers by the new requirements of the CBC and the learning/subject areas.”
Formerly the responsibility of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), teacher training has been transferred to the Ministry of Education (MoE), considerably reducing the TSC’s authority.
In preparation for competency-based teacher education programs, universities are also anticipated to develop one-year retraining programs for teachers. The PWPER has also suggested an increase in education funding.
The previously unfunded pre-primary education will now be funded at a rate of Sh1,170 per learner per year, while the primary school capitation grant will nearly double from Sh1,420 to Sh2,238 per year.
Senior high school pupils will receive an annual stipend of Sh22,527. Since 2018, the current capitation has been Sh22,244, which has been in effect since 2018. Principals of secondary schools have advocated for a raise to Sh30,000.
There is also a recommendation to introduce a minimum essential package to cushion institutions with below-optimal enrollments.
The suggested amounts are Sh70,200 for pre-primary education, Sh53,120 for primary education, Sh2.03 million for junior education, Sh3.04 million for senior education, and Sh1,89 million for special education.
The PWPER has also suggested that the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, which has existed since 1968, be supplanted by the Kenya Basic Education Bursaries and Scholarship Council.
It will be responsible for coordinating the administration of grants and scholarships.
“There are numerous fragmented and uncoordinated sources of scholarships and bursaries with no defined selection criteria for recipients. According to the report, the majority of them are marked by corruption, nepotism, and tribalism, with undeserving, well-connected beneficiaries benefiting more than meritorious ones.
The Ministry of Education, the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), county governments, banks and foundations, NGOs, faith-based organizations, and philanthropic individuals are among the sources of scholarships and bursaries.
The new organization will maintain a centralized database of all available scholarships and bursaries. Both the provision of bursaries and scholarships from two sources and the return of excess bursary and scholarship funds to recipients will be prohibited.
“Students in need will be identified via schools, districts, sub-districts, and municipalities, with the participation of religious leaders, principals, and elected officials. According to the report, the council will be constituted as a semi-autonomous government agency within the [State Department] of Basic Education.
According to the document, stakeholders recommended that monitoring of students begin at birth to inform school enrollment and capitation.
It recommends the implementation of a unique identifier for each beginning at birth and continuing throughout their education.
This must be accomplished within one year. The report includes a matrix detailing the implementation schedule and the ministry or agency responsible for each action item.
President Ruto’s Team Unveils Revolutionary Education Reforms in Kenya
