Grade 9 Transition
The transition of Grade 9 students to Senior School is a major development in the Kenyan education system.
By the end of this year, these learners will move into Senior School, which encompasses Grades 10 through 12.
To mark this completion of basic education under the Competency-Based Curriculum, the pioneer cohort is expected to write the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) in November.
The KJSEA exam will be administered by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). KJSEA will account for 60% of the final grade, with school-based assessments contributing the remaining 40%.
Following KJSEA performance, students will be sent to different schools according to their desired professional pathways.
Professional paths/tracks refer to learning areas, which are combinations of subjects that are recognized under CBC.
They include Arts and Sports Science; Science, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM); and Social Science.
Performing Arts, Sports, and Visual Arts are the three tracks in Arts and Sports Science.
The four STEM tracks are Career Technology Studies (CTS), Technology and Engineering, Applied Science, and Pure Science.
There are two tracks in social science: language and literature and humanities and business studies.
Senior schools will combine the present four school categories: national schools, extra-county schools, county schools, and sub-county schools. No more school classifications.
Therefore, learners will be placed in senior school based on how the outcome of the KJSEA aligns with the requirements of the three pathways.
For the schools to accommodate Grade 9 graduates their staffing and infrastructural capacity will determine i.e. the current national schools have the best facilities in the country and may accommodate learners across all three pathways compared to some extra county schools which will be limited by infrastructural capacity to accomodate only allow two career pathways.
Additionally, learners will be assigned to the schools nearest to their homes; thus, during their senior year, pupils would typically attend a neighboring school.
Learners of any gender will also be put in any school (based on professional pathways); this means that schools that are exclusively for boys or girls will no longer exist.
Photo Courtesy
Tags: Julius Ogamba Knec Kpsea
