According to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, the government is considering classifying senior secondary schools based on the courses they will offer under the new curriculum.
Prof Magoha hinted yesterday that because some national schools are already well established and have better infrastructure, they may be chosen to exclusively offer three main courses covering Humanities and Arts, Sports Science, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Senior Secondary Schools will cover Grades 10 to 12 under the new curriculum.
“We are going into a new system where at Senior Secondary, we will be having pathways for three years.
There are some very well-established institutions that we believe will have the three pathways.
Others with two pathways will primarily be day and smaller boarding schools. The CS stated in Nyeri that schools would be classified based on their ability to provide STEM courses.
“Perhaps schools with three pathways can be classified as national. In order to do so, you must have very good facilities in the likes of Kenya High, Kapsabet, Alliance Boys and Girls,” Magoha explained.
“I will not be there,” he continued, “but as a professor, I have to reason. But there will be a dichotomy where there are those schools allowing two pathways and those with three.”
According to a CBC task force report, the proposals are for 60% of Senior Secondary students to pursue four STEM pathways.
The remaining 25% of students will study Languages and Social Sciences, while 15% will study Sports Science, Performing and Visual Arts.
Placement to Senior Secondary will be determined by formative and summative assessments in Junior Secondary, as well as the learners’ career interests.
All of the current 10,359 secondary schools will be able to accommodate both junior and senior secondary levels.
The Ministry will identify and improve the infrastructure of schools that can host the three main courses in stages.
The CBC group will transition to Senior Secondary in 2026, and schools will require additional infrastructure and human resources due to the increased number of students.
Based on projections, the existing 10,359 secondary schools will need at least two additional classrooms to accommodate those students in 2026.
However, the government will need to build more secondary schools in areas where there is a scarcity of institutions, according to the CBC task force report.
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is expected to implement a career guidance program to prepare students for the selection of pathways and tracks in Senior Secondary.
Simultaneously, the existing 35 Special Needs Education secondary schools can be designated to cater for both junior and secondary tracks for respective learners with special needs to pursue in the three pathways.
Magoha made the remarks while stating that the construction of Junior Secondary classrooms is proceeding well.
