This blog was written by Benta Abuya, Research Scientist, Education and Youth Empowerment, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Kenya.
After curriculum changes in Kenya, in January 2026, the first cohort of senior secondary students transitioned from junior secondary. As with many nascent initiatives, the process was confusing for teachers, parents and students alike, leading to calls from education stakeholders for better preparedness to ensure a 100% transition. The appeal mirrors the one made between March 2020 and March 2021, in response to the decline in secondary school enrolment, when the Ministry of Education reached out to parents and education stakeholders through the provincial administration to mobilise out-of-school youth and ensure they returned to school. While progress has been made, challenges remain, which continue to prohibit the progression of many students’ education. These challenges include poverty at the household level, which impairs parents’ ability to pay school fees; early sexual debut leading to early pregnancies; delays in stocking textbooks and other supplies in schools; and delays in the placement of students. In particular, placement delays have resulted in an imbalance in the number of students enrolled, as some schools are overwhelmed with applications, while others have very few enrolled students.
New curriculum changes
The Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya envisages a four-tier system with two years of pre-primary education, six years in primary school (Grades 1-6), followed by three years in junior secondary (Grades 7-9) and three years in senior secondary (Grades 10-12). The delineation of junior secondary and senior secondary represents a critical shift in Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE). Unlike the previous 8-4-4 system, which relied heavily on two examinations over the 16 years, the CBE framework employs a series of tests, with emphasis on specialised mastery rather than broader knowledge, and prioritises a learner’s unique talents and career aspirations. Therefore, the transition into senior secondary (Grades 10, 11 and 12) is the point where the educational ‘rubber meets the road’.
The most significant aspect of this transition is the placement of students into three distinct pathways based on their performance and interests at the end of the junior secondary level. This ensures that students are not forced into a ‘one-size-fits-all’ academic box; instead, they are allowed to thrive based on their educational interests and talents. This happens within the different tracks: Arts and Sports Science, for learners with talents in performing arts, visual arts or athletics; Social Sciences focused on humanities, languages and business studies; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which is the largest pathway, is subdivided into different tracks like Pure Sciences, Applied Sciences and Technical Studies.
According to the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF), the goal of senior secondary is to empower learners with the ‘know-how’ rather than just the ‘know-what’. Education within CBE enables a shift from rote learning to competency, thereby marking a move towards functional literacy. Moreover, in the senior secondary level, students are required to engage in community projects, thereby enhancing community service learning, consequently bridging the gap between classroom theory and societal needs. Likewise, the CBE assessment was embedded in the formative assessment system, which, unlike the old system, ensured that 60% of a learner’s final score came from school-based assessments.
What can be done to alleviate the situation?
Parental and community support. In addition to stimulating an attitude shift among parents, particularly towards their children’s education, it is important that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, develop programmes that empower parents and enhance their parenting skills in support of their children’s education. In addition, financial empowerment may go a long way to alleviate the lack of resources that impair the ability of parents to enrol their children in senior secondary school. The Advanced Learning Outcomes project (ALOT Change), a community-based initiative by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), has been instrumental in working with parents in Nairobi’s informal settlements to help them better understand their roles in their children’s education. Moreover, as was the case in the ALOT Change programme, local resources like counsellors were engaged to counsel parents on the best ways to support their children, while community engagement through local leadership structures – village elders and chiefs – ensured that the children and their parents got the requisite support for children to attend school. This community collaboration needs to be sustained with support for schools so that children can enter Grade 10 and remain in school.
Provision of a transition subsidy. The costs of transitioning to a higher level within the basic education, like the junior and senior secondary levels, may be slightly higher for new entrants than for continuing students, due to the one-off non-tuition and non-boarding charges payable to the school, including caution money (a security deposit), library, development, the cost of the school uniform and other personal effects. APHRC’s ALOT Change programme provided conditional financial support to girls from low-income households who met the required score to join high school at the end of the primary school cycle. If a similar transition subsidy were adopted by the government, it would go a long way toward ensuring that the transition to Grade 10 is less painful.
Support learning and life skills training within the community. In the initial phases of the ALOT Change programme, APHRC implemented an after-school homework support programme to improve young learners’ numeracy and literacy skills, and therefore enhance their transition to secondary school. From lessons learnt in the programme, adolescent girls and boys could benefit from homework support and life skills training to sustain learning and mitigate community challenges, respectively.
All is not lost; there are still ways that the government can enable a smoother transition of school children to Grade 10, working with education stakeholders.
