Kenya National Union of Teachers officials (in green) with PWPER chairman Raphael Munavu at the University of Nairobi on November 11, 2022.
The government is behind schedule in its plan to implement reforms and amend laws proposed by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) in June 2023.
While the PWPER provided clear timelines for implementing its recommendations through an implementation matrix, many proposed changes have yet to materialise, and some have faced resistance from stakeholders.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) developed 11 amendment Bills to align the recommendations with the law and the National Education Policy (Sessional Paper). However, these Bills are still awaiting Cabinet approval before they can be tabled in Parliament.
A recent setback in implementing the PWPER recommendations without aligning them to the law was the High Court’s quashing of the Variable Scholarship and Loan Fund (VSLF) model for higher education.
The proposed reforms cover the education sector from pre-school to tertiary education. The PWPER set timelines ranging from immediate implementation to three years, including suggestions for legislative changes where necessary.
Following the phasing out of the 8-4-4 education system in primary schools, the next phase of the competency-based curriculum (CBC) shifts to secondary schools, now referred to as senior schools.
The PWPER had given the MoE six months to discontinue the categorisation of public secondary schools based on the current system and instead classify them according to the career pathways they offer.
However, this change has not been implemented, and secondary schools continue to be classified as national, extra-county, county, or sub-county schools.
The pioneer CBC cohort is expected to transition to senior school in 2026, but there are still no guidelines outlining how the transition will be managed.
The PWPER had given the MoE one year to develop guidelines for placing learners into various career pathways based on their performance, interests, and competencies, including the use of aptitude tests.
The proposed pathways include: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem), social sciences, arts and sports science.
The Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) will be administered at the end of Grade 9 and will determine placement into senior school.
Although the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) piloted the KJSEA in all counties last year, it is behind schedule in setting up mechanisms for the preparation and printing of national assessments, as recommended by the PWPER.
The working party also recommended that the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) be disbanded within six months, with its functions transferred to the MoE.
This restructuring has yet to occur, leaving the two parallel departments operational within both the TSC and the MoE.
Similarly, the transfer of curriculum support officers to the MoE, with a new designation as zonal quality assurance and standards officers, has not been implemented.
The TSC was also tasked with harmonising teacher management guidelines in consultation with the MoE. These guidelines were expected to cover teacher deployment, promotion, and welfare. However, teacher promotions and deployments remain the exclusive responsibility of the TSC.
Has delayed
In addition, the ministry has delayed restructuring the School Equipment Production Unit into the School Learning and Instructional Materials Centre (SLIMC).
The new unit was meant to coordinate procurement and distribution of textbooks and learning resources within one year.
Currently, this function remains under the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). Grade 9 textbooks are still being distributed ahead of schools reopening next week.
While schools continue to struggle with inadequate funding, the PWPER recommended that, within two years, the government adopt a minimum essential funding package for basic education institutions, especially those with low enrolment.
Chaired by Prof Raphael Munavu, the Working Party examined the challenges affecting the education sector in Kenya and addressed among others access, relevance, equity and quality, governance and financing of education as well as experience in the implementation of Competency Based Education.
