The Ministry of Education convened a crucial stakeholder workshop in Kirinyaga on March 12 to meticulously review the ongoing progress and address challenges in the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The forum, hosted at a local girls’ high school, brought together key players including officials from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and various teachers’ unions.

During the discussions, Ministry officials candidly acknowledged recent technical difficulties experienced with the newly launched national assessment portal. This portal is essential for schools to report Grade 9 student results, and issues arose when a large number of schools attempted to submit data simultaneously at the last minute, leading to system overloads. Assessment coordinator Ann Ngatia reassured stakeholders that the portal, currently serving approximately 1.3 million Grade 9 students, is a new system and is expected to improve significantly with ongoing user feedback and technical adjustments.

Voicing pressing concerns, representatives from teachers’ unions highlighted the persistent issue of understaffing in junior secondary schools, attributing it primarily to budgetary constraints. They made an urgent appeal for the recruitment of more CBC-compliant teachers and called for comprehensive policy reforms aimed at better motivating and supporting educators navigating the new curriculum landscape.