Junior School 101

Junior School 101 – Kenya Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)

• the young age of the learners who were set to join Junior school and the implication of their integrating and engaging with the older and more mature learners in the 8-4-4 system. This was mitigated by having Junior School domiciled in Primary School.

• uncertainty over the readiness, exhaustiveness and soundness of the curriculum content and delivery approaches. This includes development and dissemination of syllabi, teaching, and learning materials and systems.

• unclear list of schools that have been approved to host Junior School, their physical location, and contact details.

• limited understanding of the criteria for school selection and placement.

• inadequate number of schools in some localities to accommodate learners for day programs. This was mitigated by allowing learners to board.

• late confirmation of financial and material implications making it challenging to plan well in the absence of a clear, comprehensive, and timely communication, or a definite precedent.

• psychological unpreparedness of learners and support parties.

• sufficient teacher training to ensure their competence in CBC instruction in consideration of time and resource constraints.

• ambiguity over the proposed approach to deployment and administration of teachers to ensure appropriate teacher to learner ratios in the two systems (8-4-4 and CBC) which will still run concurrently for a few more years.

• the ability and preparedness of parents to support learners in the new learning areas and level.

• capacity of schools to provide proper support to learners on limited resources

• divergent political ideologies causing great anxiety and disengagement among the public.

Type of Assessment Test % Score allocation

National Assessment KPSEA (multiple choice only) 40

School-Based Assessment Grade 6 Assessments 20

School-Based Assessment Grade 5 Assessments 20

School-Based Assessment Grade 4 Assessments 20

Total % score 100

• Building of additional classrooms to accommodate Junior School learners.

• Inspection and approval of institutions hosting Junior School.

• Development of the Junior School curriculum, instruction, learning materials.

• Training and deployment of teachers and school administrators. Both virtual and in-person approaches are being adopted in training and appropriate certificates awarded upon successful completion of a training.

• Establishment of administration policies, processes, and related requirements.