As the countdown to January 12, 2026, enters its final weeks, the focus of Kenya’s education sector has shifted from the where of school placement to the how of learning.
For the 1.13 million Grade 10 pioneers preparing to specialise in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Arts and Sports Science, and Social Sciences, the question of institutional readiness has taken centre stage.
The Competency-Based Education (CBE) system at the senior school level requires more than four walls and a chalkboard. It demands specialised teachers, laboratories and facilities, requirements that currently represent the sector’s biggest infrastructure debt.
Senior school is anchored on three pathways, each with vastly different logistical requirements. Public secondary schools have been clustered into four categories.
Cluster 1 (C1), the former national schools, will offer all three pathways due to superior infrastructure and capacity. Clusters 2, 3 and 4 (formerly extra-county, county, and sub-county schools, respectively) will offer at least two pathways, with STEM being mandatory.
However, their full capacity will be determined by available resources.
While the Ministry of Education insists that the 2.2 million available slots across 9,540 schools provide a comfortable cushion for enrolment and 100 per cent transition for the 1.13 million Grade 10 learners, experts warn that a lack of infrastructure, including laboratories and specialised teachers, will affect learning in some rural and sub-county schools.
Resource-intensive pathway
With nearly 60 per cent of learners (more than 600,000) opting for STEM, it is the most resource-intensive pathway. The requirements include laboratories for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, which are basic needs.
The pathway requires 35,111 teachers across 15,046 classes, according to data from the TSC. A total of 512, 000 were placed in this category, the ministry said.
“The Ministry is alive to the fact that STEM is critical. We have been able to successfully transition from Grade 6 to Grade 7, and now we are working on the transition from junior school to senior school, that is, Grade 9 to Grade 10. Our data shows that we have 1,369 secondary schools that require laboratories,” revealed the Head of the Directorate of Secondary Education, Dr William Sugut in an interview with
Mr William Sugut, the head of the Directorate of Secondary at the Ministry of Education.
Photo credit: File | Nation
However, Dr Sugut said the Ministry of Education is working with partners, including the World Bank, to put up critical facilities before January next year.
“We want to set up 1,650 laboratories in 1,369 secondary schools. We arrived at this by looking at the curriculum design, which is the syllabus, and determining what schools require. Particularly when you look at junior school, we examine the curriculum design in terms of Integrated Science — what it entails and what it requires,” said Dr Sugut.
In a last-minute rescue plan, the ministry is working with partners such as the World Bank to set up laboratories across these schools before January. For schools that cannot wait for permanent structures, the School Equipment Production Unit (SEPU) is deploying mobile laboratories at a cost of Sh200, 000 each, funded through school capitation.
“There are several options that the Ministry of Education has encouraged schools to pursue. For instance, the setting up of mobile laboratories by SEPU. To acquire a mobile lab for a junior school costs about Sh200, 000. The cost is being covered through capitation disbursed to schools,” Dr Sugut said.
However, for new STEM subjects including Electricity, Building Construction and Woodwork, Dr Sugut said the ministry has encouraged senior schools already offering similar subjects, such as Metal Work, to increase their capacities since they already have the equipment and specialised teachers.
For technical subjects like Electricity, Building Construction and Woodwork, the ministry is leaning on existing Cluster 1 institutions — the current national schools under the 8-4-4 curriculum — which already have the requisite equipment and teachers.
Elite public schools such as Mang’u High School (Aviation) and Njoro Boys High School (Metal Work) are being compelled to enrol more students to act as hubs for tracks not offered in most public schools.
The Ministry of Education has addressed the gap by increasing the capacity of secondary schools already offering technical subjects.
“We are asking schools that already have the equipment and specialised teachers to increase their capacity so they can admit more students in those specific subjects. We are aware that there are new subjects under STEM. What we have done is ensure that schools previously offering Metal Work increase their capacity in terms of student numbers, because they already have the equipment and teachers,” Dr Sugut added.
Senior schools will declare their capacities and increase intake in areas not offered by other institutions so they can admit more students in specific subjects.
For Arts and Sports Science, chosen by more than 124,000 students, schools need studios and sports facilities. This pathway is perhaps the most underserved in the current public school setup. A total of 115,000 learners have been placed in the pathway.
Learners require recording studios for music, galleries for visual arts, and theatre spaces for performing arts and standard-size sports complexes for physical education specialisations.
While most schools have playing fields, few possess specialised sports science equipment. The pathway requires 8,778 teachers.
Social Sciences, selected by 437,000 learners, requires 14,630 teachers and relies heavily on ICT infrastructure. A total of 420,000 were placed in the pathway.
Staffing remains the Achilles’ heel of the transition. The TSC has flagged a deficit of 58,590 teachers specifically for Grade 10.
Education stakeholders, led by Zizi Afrique chief executive officer Dr John Mugo, said infrastructure is critical to the success of CBE.
Zizi Afrique Foundation Executive Director Dr John Mugo.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
“Infrastructure ought to be prioritised. It is very important, especially if we desire public schools to have equitable standards. In India, public schools look the same,” Dr Mugo said.
He added: “Senior schools are carrying a heavy burden of shortages. When we research what matters most for children’s learning, the teacher stands out as the single most important factor. It is better to have a good teacher under a tree than a storey building without teachers.”
The TSC is also facing a significant shortage of technical teachers, particularly in Home Science, a crisis exacerbated by the transition to CBE, which emphasises practical, skills-based subjects.
“Many Home Science teachers are leveraging their skills in baking to start private businesses. Some schools have dropped the subject entirely because earnings in the private sector far exceed government salaries,” TSC Director of Quality Assurance Dr Reuben Nthamburi said.
Teachers Service Commission Director of Teacher Professional Management Dr Reuben Nthamburi.
Dr Nthamburi urged universities to resume or expand training programmes for Home Science teachers, warning of a looming crisis.
The shortage extends beyond Home Science, affecting Social Studies, Integrated Sciences, Pre-Technical Studies, Agriculture and Creative Arts.
Currently, under the 8-4-4 system, the TSC requires 157,476 teachers for Forms Two, Three and Four but has 130,899, leaving a deficit of 26,577. Key subjects affected include Music and Arts, French and foreign languages.
There are approximately 129,847 teachers deployed across more than 9,500 secondary schools nationwide.
Grade 10 learners are expected to report to their respective senior schools starting January 12, 2025.
Perhaps the most contentious issue in the transition is the revised fee structure. In November, the ministry introduced a standardised annual fee of Sh53, 554 for all public senior boarding schools.
While intended to promote fairness, the flat rate has sparked an outcry from parents in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL). Under the 8-4-4 system, fees varied by school category, allowing parents to choose schools within their means. Under CBE, all public senior schools will charge a uniform fee.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association National Secretary Abdinoor Haji warned of a looming crisis in the North Eastern region.
“In pastoral areas, boarding schools are the only viable option. Parents may opt for day schools that lack adequate infrastructure,” he said.
