PS Bitok says Gov't ready for 100% transition of Grade 9 learners

The government has begun the construction of 1,600 Science laboratories in public schools across the country as part of preparations for the transition of students to senior school.

According to Basic Education Principal Secretary Amb. Julius Bitok, the move is aimed at ensuring a 100 per cent transition of the pioneer Grade 9 learners to Grade 10.

PS Bitok assured parents that all 1.2 million Grade 9 learners who will sit for their final examinations in October will be placed in senior schools.

He said all necessary measures are in place to facilitate the first transition to senior school under the competency-based education system since its inception.

“We have started rolling out 1,600 laboratories around the country. For the small schools that didn’t have labs, we have mapped out all of them and we are hoping that in the next three months all the labs will be ready. In the last two years, we have constructed 23,000 classrooms around the country to support competency-based education,” said Bitok.

The PS, who toured the Gravity CBC Centre in Nairobi, called for greater collaboration to ensure learners gain hands-on experience, a core pillar of the competency-based curriculum.

He also acknowledged the vital role played by private and faith-based organizations in supporting the new education system.

“This is a model centre that can be replicated in our regions so that learners can get first-hand experience as they plan their transition. What has impressed me most is that they are using locally available materials that learners can appreciate. When you bring equipment from abroad, learners may not connect,” said Bitok.

The resource centre stands as a model of what competency-based education embodies. From basic home hygiene, cooking, cleaning, and bed-making to complex topics like the human body systems, learners are immersed in practical, hands-on learning.

Students are also introduced to motor mechanics from the ground up, with fully equipped spare parts to help them understand how mechanical systems work.

Unlike the 8-4-4 system, which emphasized memorization, the CBC model focuses on learning by doing.

The PS urged education stakeholders to support innovative initiatives, stressing that every region needs well-resourced centres to equip learners with real-life skills ahead of their final assessments.