The 2023 academic year is probably the most distinct. Not only for school managers but for parents and learners as well. The start of the 2023 academic year marks the normalization of the academic calendar post-pandemic, with schools having re-opened as of 23rd January. The academic year, the new CBC curriculum will see its first-ever Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KAPSEA) candidates join Junior Secondary Schools for their Grade 7. Furthermore, 2022 class eight candidates are joining Form one.
That said, there is still uncertainty regarding several things. Some unsettled issues include inadequate infrastructure which has hampered the transition to Competency-Based Curriculum ( CBC) in general. Like any other new system though, challenges are inevitable.
The government is domiciling the Junior Secondary School education in existing primary schools; a major to parents. It however, laudable that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) intends on retraining an extra 30,000 teachers towards the transition.
Junior Secondary School transition in the 2023 Academic Year
All learners shall be placed Junior Secondary School institutions, as per the 100 percent transition policy. Learners joining Grade 7 are to report to their respective schools on Monday, 30th January 2023.
Consequently, the government has stated that it will spend Ksh.9.6 Billion on capitation grants to JSS learners. The grants will cover Term One and Term Two of the 2023 Academic Year. Each of them will receive an individual capitation of Ksh.15,000 per year. Furthermore, Course books and hard copies of the Grade 7 Curriculum shall be available for all schools. KNEC will also provide guidelines on the conduct of assessments at the Junior Secondary School.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Friday 20th January 2023, released the approved interim guidelines. Among other things, the guidelines define the roles of boards of management; as well as the primary school head teachers as Junior Secondary School heads of their respective schools. The interim period for the guidelines will end on December 30th, 2023. He added that the head teachers and the members of the boards of management will have an induction training. The training will cover institutional and instructional leadership towards the new curriculum and for this 2023 academic year.
Full comprehensive report on the CBC Curriculum comes out in March 2023.
What next?
With that said and with exactly 7 days to the Junior Secondary School opening date, there is reason to be even more worried. The Education Ministry is yet to release a report from its inspection on the primary schools that are ready to host the JSS learners. Just as the Teacher’s Service Commission is yet to finalize teachers’ recruitment as well as training towards JSS learning for the 2023 Academic year.
Worst still, learners due to join Junior Secondary School in a week are yet to be placed, as would have been expected.
