The glossy promise of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system is fading fast, dimmed by a harsh reality of policy blunders and chronic underfunding. What was touted as a revolutionary shift from the rote-learning of 8-4-4 to a skills-based future is now mired in implementation chaos, leaving teachers frustrated, parents broke, and learners confused.

A deep dive into the current state of education reveals a system running on fumes. Despite a budget allocation of nearly Sh700 billion, schools are struggling to keep the lights on. The problem isn't just money; it is the structural flaws in how that money is deployed. The reliance on bursaries—often distributed at the whim of politicians—has replaced predictable capitation, turning a constitutional right into a political favor.

"Transactional Marketplaces"

Critics argue that classrooms have ceased to be civic spaces of learning and have become "transactional marketplaces." Teachers, whose salaries have stagnated, are forced to chase parents for levies to buy chalk and exam papers. Parents, already squeezed by the economy, view every request from the school with suspicion. This breakdown in trust is poisoning the ecosystem of learning.

The policy disconnect is glaring. The government issues directives for "free education" and "100% transition" without providing the resources to match. Headteachers are left to perform magic, squeezing 60 students into classrooms built for 40, all while being told not to charge fees. It is a recipe for mediocrity.

The Bursary Trap

The bursary system has emerged as a major villain in this narrative. Instead of fixing the systemic funding gaps, politicians use bursaries to look helpful. They dole out cheques like charity, creating a dependency culture that serves their re-election bids but does nothing to improve the quality of education. "Bursaries exist because free education does not," notes one analyst. They are a confession of failure.

• Teacher Morale: Frozen in rank and underpaid, teachers are demoralized. They watch MPs distribute millions in bursaries while their own pay negotiations stall.
• Infrastructure Gap: The Junior Secondary School (JSS) rollout exposed the lack of labs and workshops, critical for the practical aspect of CBE.
• Inequality: The system is creating a two-tier society where those who can afford private schools get the skills, while the public system offers a watered-down version.

Restoring the Shine

For CBE to regain its shine, the government must move beyond rhetoric. It requires a hard reset on policy planning. Capitation must be timely and sufficient. The teacher shortage must be addressed not with interns, but with permanent hires. And critically, the politicization of school funding through bursaries must end.

The future of a generation is at stake. Unless these policy flaws are corrected, CBE risks becoming another lost opportunity—a brilliant concept dimmed by the darkness of poor planning and political greed.