In January 2023, approximately 2,512,467 learners will join Secondary Education in accordance with the Government policy on 100% Transition of learners in Basic Education, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has revealed.

These include 1,268,830 learners enrolled in Grade 6 in 2022 who will transition to Junior Secondary School (JSS) at Grade 7 under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and 1,243,637 Standard 8 cohort of 2022 who will transition to Form 1 under the 8:4:4 system.

The learners will be placed in both public and private junior secondary schools next year.

Transition of learners from Upper Primary to Junior Secondary School will be guided by the assessment outcomes of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). 

KPSEA will be a combination of the learners’ scores attained from the School Based Assessments         (SBA) administered at Grade 4, 5 and 6 and National summative assessment to be administered in November year.

The School Based Assessments for each of the three Grades (i.e. Grades 4, 5 and 6) will constitute 20%, with the SBAs cumulatively accounting for 60% of scores to be used in reporting as learners transit to Junior Secondary School.

To this end, KNEC has already administered SBAs to the 2022 Grade 6 cohort at Grade 4 in 2020 and at Grade 5 in 2021. 

KNEC will administer the Grade 6 SBA to the 2022 cohort between 18^th July, 2022 and 9^th September, 2022.

KNEC will also administer a summative assessment to all the 2022 Grade 6 learners from 28^th to 30^th November 2022. 

KNEC will assess the thirteen subjects offered at Upper Primary level using five papers constituted as follows:

1. Mathematics;

2. English Language;

3. Kiswahili / Kenyan Sign Language;

4. Integrated Science (combines 4 subjects):

i) Science and Technology;

ii) Agriculture;

iii) Home Science;

iv) Physical and Health Education.

5. Creative Arts and Social Studies (combines 4 subjects):

i)Social Studies;

ii) Christian Religious Education/Islamic Religious Education/Hindu Religious Education;

iii) Art and Craft;

iv) Music.

Magoha has rooted for day schools and urged contractors to complete the construction of junior secondary school classrooms on time.

Speaking after commissioning new junior secondary school classes at Kariobangi North Girls High School in Nairobi, Prof Magoha, said that the new level of education is geared towards a day school setting and not boarding.

“We will have only three streams for junior secondary school, meaning we are encouraging people to send their children to day schools,” said Magoha.

He said the government is building classrooms in every school to ensure absolute fairness, equity and availability.

“Most of the children will therefore be day scholars. If I had a grandchild going to junior secondary school, I would want to be with that child for another extra year,” said Magoha.

He said the rush to boarding secondary schools will be delayed to Grade Nine.

The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) taskforce report had rooted for day schools when the transition to junior secondary schools is rolled out.

“We are spending Sh788,000 for the junior high classrooms which are supposed to take three to four weeks to complete. Secondary Quality Improvement Programme (SEQIP) ones cost Sh1.26 million. And despite construction starting eight weeks earlier than the junior high ones, not a single one is complete,” said Magoha.

The CS expressed his discontentment with the pace of new classroom construction, warning lazy contractors of dire consequences. 

“They should be warned this time round they’re not going to steal Kenyans’ money. They think they will take advantage of the political transition and steal money. That will not happen under my watch,” he said.

So far, out of the 3,500 classrooms set to be constructed, Magoha said only 50 are ready for commissioning.

“I’ve already commissioned 10 of them, and will be commissioning more in Limuru and Mombasa by the end of the week,” he said.

 He, however, warned that his ministry will not give registration to schools without a lab.

 “Let’s not make CBC look like a hoax where you retain children but have no lab for them. A standard lab costs less than 1.5 million. Primary schools can even convert one of their empty classes to a lab, which will reduce costs,” he said.

In January 2023, approximately 2,512,467 learners will join Secondary Education in accordance with the Government policy on 100% Transition of learners in Basic Education, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has revealed.

These include 1,268,830 learners enrolled in Grade 6 in 2022 who will transition to Junior Secondary School (JSS) at Grade 7 under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and 1,243,637 Standard 8 cohort of 2022 who will transition to Form 1 under the 8:4:4 system.

The learners will be placed in both public and private junior secondary schools next year.

Transition of learners from Upper Primary to Junior Secondary School will be guided by the assessment outcomes of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). 

KPSEA will be a combination of the learners’ scores attained from the School Based Assessments         (SBA) administered at Grade 4, 5 and 6 and National summative assessment to be administered in November year.

The School Based Assessments for each of the three Grades (i.e. Grades 4, 5 and 6) will constitute 20%, with the SBAs cumulatively accounting for 60% of scores to be used in reporting as learners transit to Junior Secondary School.

To this end, KNEC has already administered SBAs to the 2022 Grade 6 cohort at Grade 4 in 2020 and at Grade 5 in 2021. 

KNEC will administer the Grade 6 SBA to the 2022 cohort between 18^th July, 2022 and 9^th September, 2022.

KNEC will also administer a summative assessment to all the 2022 Grade 6 learners from 28^th to 30^th November 2022. 

KNEC will assess the thirteen subjects offered at Upper Primary level using five papers constituted as follows:

1. Mathematics;

2. English Language;

3. Kiswahili / Kenyan Sign Language;

4. Integrated Science (combines 4 subjects):

i) Science and Technology;

ii) Agriculture;

iii) Home Science;

iv) Physical and Health Education.

5. Creative Arts and Social Studies (combines 4 subjects):

i)Social Studies;

ii) Christian Religious Education/Islamic Religious Education/Hindu Religious Education;

iii) Art and Craft;

iv) Music.

Magoha has rooted for day schools and urged contractors to complete the construction of junior secondary school classrooms on time.

Speaking after commissioning new junior secondary school classes at Kariobangi North Girls High School in Nairobi, Prof Magoha, said that the new level of education is geared towards a day school setting and not boarding.

“We will have only three streams for junior secondary school, meaning we are encouraging people to send their children to day schools,” said Magoha.

He said the government is building classrooms in every school to ensure absolute fairness, equity and availability.

“Most of the children will therefore be day scholars. If I had a grandchild going to junior secondary school, I would want to be with that child for another extra year,” said Magoha.

He said the rush to boarding secondary schools will be delayed to Grade Nine.

The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) taskforce report had rooted for day schools when the transition to junior secondary schools is rolled out.

“We are spending Sh788,000 for the junior high classrooms which are supposed to take three to four weeks to complete. Secondary Quality Improvement Programme (SEQIP) ones cost Sh1.26 million. And despite construction starting eight weeks earlier than the junior high ones, not a single one is complete,” said Magoha.

The CS expressed his discontentment with the pace of new classroom construction, warning lazy contractors of dire consequences. 

“They should be warned this time round they’re not going to steal Kenyans’ money. They think they will take advantage of the political transition and steal money. That will not happen under my watch,” he said.

So far, out of the 3,500 classrooms set to be constructed, Magoha said only 50 are ready for commissioning.

“I’ve already commissioned 10 of them, and will be commissioning more in Limuru and Mombasa by the end of the week,” he said.

 He, however, warned that his ministry will not give registration to schools without a lab.

 “Let’s not make CBC look like a hoax where you retain children but have no lab for them. A standard lab costs less than 1.5 million. Primary schools can even convert one of their empty classes to a lab, which will reduce costs,” he said.