Education CS Ogamba assures parents of smooth Grade 9 transition to Senior Secondary

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has assured parents that learners currently in Grade Nine will transition smoothly to senior secondary school next year.

Speaking during the official opening of the 6th Biennial Education Evidence for Action (EE4A) conference at Embu University, Ogamba said the ministry is addressing infrastructure gaps to ensure a seamless move for learners.

“Unlike Grade Nine, which was domiciled in primary schools that lacked adequate classrooms, the transition to senior secondary will be easier since learners will be accommodated for three years, with provisions for additional classes where needed,” Ogamba noted.

The CS revealed that the government has already released school capitation funds to keep schools running and is engaging universities and teacher training colleges to realign their programs with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Ogamba added that 11 education-related Bills are before the Cabinet, seeking amendments aimed at streamlining the education system. He emphasised the need for continuous teacher training to enhance classroom delivery under CBC.

“As CBC enters its ninth year, teachers require retooling to meet its demands. Data on teacher needs must also be accurate, since every year the country will require an additional 35,000 teachers,” he said.

The CS acknowledged past challenges with unreliable education data and stressed the importance of clean data for planning, particularly in training and deployment of teachers to avoid mismatches.

He also noted that universities are reviewing tuition fees, while student financing remains a priority with Ksh.9.4 billion allocated to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and Ksh.17 billion to the new funding model.

On assessments, Ogamba assured that exams will be effectively administered to support continuous learning and evaluation under CBC.