Over 150K Learners Fail To Complete JSS As Stakeholder Put Pressure On CS Ogamba
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) data has revealed that more than 151,000 learners enrolled in the first cohort of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system never reached the end of junior school.
These figures were revealed during the third annual education assessment symposium.
The meeting was convened on May 4 by the Ministry of Education, KNEC, and the Education Resource Centre, which brought together key players in the country’s education sector.
“KNEC data is now showing that over 151,000 learners from CBC’s very first cohort are not making it to the end of junior school, and that is a serious concern,” stated a KNEC official.
The data further revealed that when the pioneer CBC class began Grade 4 in 2019, approximately 1.282 million learners were registered.
However, by the time the Grade 9 assessment came around, only 1.130 million of those students actually sat the exam to earn placement into senior school.
That gap of roughly 151,000 learners is what has put Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and his ministry under pressure.
Stakeholders are demanding for clear answers on where exactly those children went and why the system could not hold them.
On a gender basis, more boys than girls dropped out, with the data revealing that close to 100,000 male learners did not complete junior school, while over 51,000 girls dropped out before finishing Grade 9.
Stakeholders have previously raised concerns about the financial burden CBC places on parents and guardians.
KNEC has repeatedly flagged the cost of providing learning materials and supplies as a key factor driving families, especially those in lower-income households, to withdraw their children from school.
However, CS Ogamba moved quickly to cast doubt on the figures presented by the KNEC on the gravity of the situation.
“What came out was not actually the correct information.’ Because the transition rate from Grade 6 to Grade 7 is 100 per cent,” he stated.
He added, “The transition rate from Grade 9 to Grade 10 is at almost 99.8 per cent. We have already transitioned over 1.1 million. So some information is not the correct information.”
His sentiments were reinforced by the Education Principal Secretary, Julius Bitok, who also argued that the CBC system is the best thing to have ever happened in the country’s education system.
“Competence-based education, from where I sit, having travelled far and wide, is the best education system our country has ever had,” stressed PS Bitok.
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- Over 150K Learners Fail To Complete JSS As Stakeholder Put Pressure On CS Ogamba
Beyond the dropout numbers, KNEC’s data also flagged a worrying performance trend.
Learners begin strongly at the foundational Grade 3 stage but steadily decline through upper primary, with performance stagnating once they reach junior school, a pattern that implementers have been urged to address urgently.
In this regard, the Ministry also took aim at school heads exploiting parents through illegal charges.
This has been a worrying trend that has been witnessed especially in secondary schools, as the schools are two weeks into the second term.
School principals have been levying fees outside government-approved rates, with the Ministry reiterating that tuition in secondary school remains free, while other levies are government-set.
Over 150K Learners Fail To Complete JSS As Stakeholder Put Pressure On CS Ogamba
