Parents have asked President William Ruto to clarify how his administration will charge school fees and extra costs that may surface after the review of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The guardians are precisely seeking answers on how the government will cover part of the junior secondary school fees should Ruto maintain CBC.
Addressing the media on September 16, National Parents Association (KPA) chairperson Nicholas Maiyo expressed fears over the increase in school fees when Grade Six students join junior secondary.
Maiyo explained that the majority of the junior secondary school were built in high schools thus the CBC will be administered under the secondary system which is more expensive than primary schools.
Consequently, they urged the government to have junior secondary schools in primary institutions rather than high schools as proposed by Education Cabinet Secretary, George Magoha.
"How will these children cope and adjust to high school in overcrowded schools hosting senior students?
"Majority of these learners still need parental care and exposing them to such situations will be tantamount to negligence,’’ he stated.
Maiyo's sentiments were echoed by teachers unions which opined that the government was wasting money constructing CBC classes yet the infrastructure in the primary schools can host the students.
“If we continue to construct classrooms yet some of them will be left empty in primary schools. I think we are wasting resources. Instead of all these unnecessary expenditures, the learners should transit to the primary schools they are currently schooling,” the Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) National Secretary Paul Wanjohi stated.
On his part, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) secretary-general, Akelo Misori, welcomed the head of state's decision to form a task force to review CBC. He also urged the committee to be tasked with ensuring that the transition of the CBC class is not affected.
However, the review ought to be conclusive to ensure all views are taken into account before a decision is made on either scrapping or retaining CBC.
“To succeed, every education system must get the goodwill of all stakeholders including the government, teachers, learners and all sectors of society,” he stated.
Ruto's decision to review the CBC curriculum evoked mixed reactions from education stakeholders.
His allies and other stakeholders advocated the scrapping of the curriculum, arguing that it does not fit the infrastructure in most schools in the country.
Education CS, George Magoha, however, detailed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta's government had invested heavily in implementing the curriculum.
"There is never a vacuum in government and with 10 million children under CBC, no government is even going to consider removing the curriculum. They will basically just try to improve it by trying to make it better in certain aspects," Magoha stated.
