Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha rejected proposals by the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) task force to abolish boarding schools in Kenya.
The CS on Monday, July 19 stated that boarding secondary schools will be abolished gradually but not immediately as proposed by the task force.
In February 2021, the task force formed by CS Magoha proposed the scrapping of boarding in secondary schools under the new 2-6-3-3-3 education system.
According to the team, boarding schools were to be left for a few institutions to admit learners across the country who wanted to pursue various pathways in senior secondary.
They also proposed the scrapping of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination after the sixth year.
Instead, the task force suggested the exams be done after the end of junior secondary. The assessment would help to place learners in various senior secondary schools.
Another exam would be done at the end of the senior secondary which will help place the students in tertiary institutions.
Under the CBC, learners were to spend two years in pre-primary, six in primary, three in junior secondary and another three in senior secondary school.
The new education system that was rolled out by the Ministry of Education mandated a 17-year-stay in school as opposed to the 8-4-4 system which totalled 16 years.
The major difference between the 8-4-4 system and the CBC system is that the number of years learners spend in school would be restructured to 2-6-3-3-3.
All students will take 2 years of Pre-primary, then 6 years of Primary, and then 3 years of Junior School.
If you pass the Grade 9 exams at the end of Junior School, you can then go on to take 3 years of Senior School. University under CBC will be just 3 years instead of 4.
