In about two weeks, students all over the country will be sitting for their national exams. Students in primary school grades eight and 6 and high school students will be starting their KPSEA, KCPE and KCSE national exams right after the schools close.
However, this year’s national exams are surrounded by a different feel in comparison to the last year’s national examinations. The different feel being the lack of anxiety and confusion amongst the parents, the schools and students themselves.
The transition to the CBC system was not as smooth as should have been earlier. There was confusion on where exactly grade six students would transition to for their junior high education. Previously, the suggestion was that secondary schools across the country would have to accommodate these new younger children into their fold. This brought much worrying and anxiety to the parents who felt that these children were too young.
When the Kenya Kwanza government took over, the means to end this confusion was among the highest priorities.
The government after various deliberations with parents, teachers, experts and stakeholders in the sector have since streamlined the transitions. Funding has also been made available.
Under the Junior School, the Government has disbursed Sh14.7 Billion for the 1 Million learners since January this year while Sh44.4 Billion has been spent as capitation for the 3.7 million learners enrolled under the Free Day Secondary Education.
Thus, in the upcoming exams seasons, parents can rest easy knowing that the government has made the transitions easy, recruited more teachers to cater to the needs of their children and funding to ensure their children receive quality education.